The choices make up history
by Hyssopus
Summary: A time travel story based on the theory of what the tailed beasts are and where they get their chakra from.That and the question: if one person was exchanged with another, would history still play out the same? Naruto's soul is sent back in time.
1. Alone

The choices make up history.

A time-travel story based on the theory of what the tailed beasts are, and where they get their chakra from. That, and how history is made. One choice can change everything, and if a person takes the place of another in history, will he or she be able to make the same choices and make the same impact?

This story diverges from the manga after chapter 346, for those who are interested in that.

Oh, I am undert he impression that every story needs a funny disclaimer of some sort before the story begins. Consider the characters and so on disclaimed.

* * *

Prologue.

His body was aching. That was his first thought upon regaining consciousness. He kept his eyes closed, in a desperate hope that his body might stop hurting so much. He wasn't sure where he was hurting, it seemed to be everywhere. Despite this, he heard a harsh laughter. Harsh but amused. The one doing the laughing was clearly delighted by his predicament.

He opened his eyes slowly to see grass. Thick dark strands of grass and straw. And some plant that smelled like mint. He had to be on a field then, for the grass to be so tall, he thought, and tried to look around. Nope, it was too dark to see much of anything but the grass right in front of him.

Naruto painfully pushed himself up with his arms, small arms, he noted dizzily, and looked around again. He was in a clearing in a forest. Trees, not large and not small, stood around and shadowed for what little light the moon supplied. A red forest fox stared back at him from the base of one tree, and Naruto had seen the smirk on its face before. If that wasn't enough to convince him what that creature was, the malicious red eyes were.

"….Kyuubi…. What are you doing out?" he asked, and surprising himself in being too tired to be scared. He felt drained in a way he had never before experienced. He felt as if every ounce of chakra he had was emptied, his energy depleted, put shortly; he was utterly exhausted to the point where he knew he didn't have anything left to fight with. He would accept whatever happened.

The fox snorted from his place at the base of the tree, and its one tail wrapped itself around his front paws. Naruto blinked. He had never seen the fox with only one tail, and it was so _small_.

"Oh I don't know, saving your sorry life, and more importantly, mine?" Kyuubi asked rhetorically and sniffed indignantly.

"In doing so I am reduced to this poor excuse of existence, a one tailed fox kit. A kit with centuries' worth of memories, but nothing to back it up with…. You, pathetic human as you may be, are luckier. Humans grow into what they consider power far quicker."

Naruto blinked, pretending not to hear the wielded insult thrown at him. The Kyuubi no Kitsune reduced to a kit, and from what he said….. He looked over himself for the first time. Small arms, small legs, small body. Baby fat on his feet and hands, chubby knees…. He was a freaking child! A young one at that, perhaps five or so years.

"Kyuubi, what did you do?" he asked with dread. All of a sudden he felt cold, like all the warmth his body previously held was sucked out of him. Even the ache dulled. The fox scoffed.

"What did I do? What did I do?! I wonder if you can understand even if I explain…. Do you know what I am little human?"

Naruto looked at him warily. Was the creature really going to explain to him, and not just mock him like it usually did?

"You are the Kyuubi no Kitsune, the demon fox," he said slowly, not understanding why the fox asked. It didn't need to hear it to inflame its ego. Again, an aggravated sigh escaped the fox.

"Yes, yes, that is my titles. At least it was, until I had to save us! So many years of gaining power, all lost thanks to you and your… your inaptitude!! Useless humans! What I am, however, is one of the locus points of the word. I get chakra from the word. Do you understand? I slowly gather chakra that is freed when people die, so whatever you do you can't get rid of me. Well, you actually, through share incompetence, almost managed. It will take years, perhaps hundreds of them, before I am back to where I should be, as one of the strongest beings in existence. All because of YOU!"

He snarled, showing white fangs that gleamed in the weak moonlight. Naruto didn't dare say anything. Though small, and according to itself, weak, he had a feeling the little demon kit was far from as harmless as it said it was. The fox seemed to collect itself and calmed down, as calm as a creature of violence could be in any case.

"While we were being killed thanks to you, I did something meaningful and something I didn't know I could. Perhaps I could only because I was sealed within a body of flesh and blood."

Naruto kept his silence, staring at the fox as he remembered the horrific battles, the fear and anger he felt when he returned to find Konoha in shambles, the many lacking chakra signatures, feeling Tsunade Baachan's chakra flicker out of existence while he fought, and then…. The story Pain told him…. War with the ROOT and Danzou, and the crazy members of Akatsuki. Honestly, their members were all lunatics and freaks of nature one way or another. That and those eyes. He had once thought he hated the cold eyes of those ignoring him and refusing to acknowledge him, but the mangekyo sharingan eyes were worse. They were a symbol of everything he disliked; down to the betrayal of what should be the persons closest to you. It was the last he remembered before everything went black, those red and black eyes burning with unholy glee. He felt relieved somehow. If the fox had managed to escape them, then the world was safe from the crazy plan Pain had come up with to create peace. Not to mention whatever the mask wearing Uchiha wanted. He had never before imagined that he'd feel grateful to the fox, even if the bastard had turned him into a brat.

The fox regarded him, and continued speaking upon seeing that Naruto accepted that he had done something, and this wasn't some trick on his part. Good, it would make all so much easier.

"Thanks to my chakra being that of dead people, I basically returned us to a different timeline. Or, it will be different thanks to us being here. Every life, in whatever form, is decided by the choices we make. This timeline will be different because I, through your blood and the connection through the seal, managed to return your soul and due to the seal mine, into a time upon the choice of your father brought him close to death. He only survived that time because he was left alone. With us arriving, his weakened soul departed and left the body for you to inhabit. A body without a seal, I might add, so I am free to go."

Naruto felt sick. His father…. He was in his father's body. In the past, which meant that somehow, the fox had been able to use the chakra of dead people to return to when that chakra started to pass into the natural flow. It was scary. His head was already aching, so he couldn't get a second headache, but now it felt as if it wasn't going to go away. Past…. Who was his father anyway?

The fox continued to look at him with amusement as he saw panic, fear, confusion and revulsion pass over the human's face. It settled on confusion.

"Your name from now on will be Namikaze Minato, the man who sealed me and the Yondaime Hokage, at least in the timeline you know. He married Uzumaki Kushina…. Your mother, or the mother of that body, more accurately, was named Namikaze Haruhi. She was killed tonight during a Mist raid. Minato ran away into the forest. You have never known your father. Your mother was a seamstress, and did prostitution on the side to earn enough money to raise her son. That is all I could gain from the memories left in the chakra. What you do from now on is up to you, though I should tell you; this time will be different from the one you knew. I am no longer the all powerful Kyuubi no Kitsune I should be; I am a kit….."

The disdainful growl escaping the fox belied his dissatisfaction with the situation.

"The Akatsuki will have to come up with something else to screw the world over with. That suits me just fine; I don't take kindly to humans trying to enslave me. There might be wars, there might not, I don't know. I don't care. This is where we part, and do pray this is the last we will ever see of each other."

It was the longest speech Naruto had ever heard from the fox, and was surprised that it sounded so normal. He wasn't screaming profanities, wasn't cursing his name or growling and sneering, he was stating facts. The fox rose to leave when Naruto remembered something else. He had to cling to some facts, since most of what he heard made his mind reel. He really didn't want to deal with it.

"Wait! You said our souls were interwoven, how…. How is it now?" he asked. He wasn't sure how he thought of asking that, or why he remembered that it might be important, but he was sure he wanted to know. The fox smirked.

"Looks like you gained a brain along the way! Good for you. As for your question; our souls are no longer a problem. It was the seal that kept our souls together, and since we are in a time before the necessary sacrifice to power the seal is made, the seal stopped existing when we past its point of creation. Does that explain it?"

Naruto didn't feel like it did, but from the glint in the red eyes, he presumed it was better to nod and pretend than to ask anymore. With that, the great demon lord Kyuubi no kitsune, henceforth reduced to a one tailed demon kit, trotted off into the forest and left one Uzumaki Naruto, now turned Namikaze Minato, to stare after him and for the first time in his life, he was truly and utterly alone. In the body of his father. In a time he only knew some about from boring lessons back at the Academy. Before a war that changed the map drastically, from what he had heard. Brilliant.

He just now realized he had no idea where he was. Bugger it all.

* * *

The night had been cold. Naruto had huddled himself up against a tree. He wrapped his arms around his legs and pulled them to his chest to keep warm, but it was still cold. His small and young body was not used to the conditions he had endured as an adult, and he didn't have the Kyuubi inside him anymore. The beast had at least made sure he never came dangerously close to overheating or freezing. Sometime during the night, he had fallen asleep with his head on his knees, too exhausted both physically and mentally to keep awake.

When the sun finally came up and woke him, the grass and his clothes were moist from the due, and a thin fog hovered over the ground. It gave the forest he was currently in an airy appearance, as if there were more things in there than what was usual for a forest. With the demon fox lose, who knew if that might be correct or not. Naruto had never given it a thought, but he wondered where a large demon would live when it wasn't sealed up in a human being. Especially one with the size of the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

He sat under the tree for the longest time, until the mist had evaporated and the due had dried from the grass. He ignored the sounds from his stomach, and how weak and vulnerable he felt as a child. Not to mention the complete apathy he felt. He was at a loss as to what to do, what to feel and just about everything else. He was in a different time with no idea where he was, for all he knew all the people he knew were dead, or didn't know him, and he was alone. He had cried when he woke up, a lot, but he didn't have tears left anymore, so he just sat there, listening to the few birds around and the sound of the naked branches moving against each other in the breeze.

It had taken him the grand total of the entire morning to realize this, and what it meant. Wintertime was not the best time to be a lost child out in the open. His clothes measured up to brown pants, sandals, a white shirt and a dark brown jacket with a small crest on it. He had taken to run his fingers over it, and noted the fine lines running like waves over it. It was a nervous reaction, he knew that much about psychology, but he couldn't help it. If he hadn't been so hungry he was sure his stomach would have been a knot of nerves and butterflies. He didn't count his undergarments, since they didn't exactly shield him from the cold, but they were there. He was strangely happy about that, but figured it was his brain's way to tell him not everything was as bad as it could have been.

Right. With that in mind, he rose and started to walk slowly through the forest. He had no idea where he was or where he was going, but if he kept going he had to come somewhere. He breeze smelled of salt, so if he kept going in that direction, he was pretty sure he'd reach the sea. From there, well, he would have to find a way to Konoha. He wanted to be a ninja, and he didn't want to serve any other village. It was bad enough that he had to be another person, and get to know the world and people all over again. He knew he couldn't lie about his loyalties to.

He could tell only from walking that this body was different, not just because it was small and young. He knew he wouldn't grow up to be short and stocky this time. This body would be leaner, more acrobatic and faster. Not all power and strength. He would have to come up with a whole new fighting style. How…. Troublesome, to quote a friend he had most likely lost forever. He let out a sigh as his stomach grumbled again, making him jump at the loud sound in the otherwise silent forest.

He looked around. He was almost expecting someone to attack him from behind, or above, or even below, but there were no movements, no sounds and no smells to alert him. Not that he knew if he could still sense that sort of thing in this untrained body. He would have to try. It was at least something to focus on, until he found out where he was and if it was possible to get to Konoha from there.

Concentrating he tried to call on his chakra, which left him woefully disappointed when nothing happened. This body had clearly not used chakra before, and it was clear to him that he would have to go through the whole meditation and unlocking the chakra thing again. It also meant he wasn't able to sense chakra anymore, something that disturbed him greatly. After living in a civil war for three years, sensing chakra had become second nature to him, and anyone else still alive. ROOT weren't known for being lenient after all. Kill first and ask questions later were their motto. It had forced them to do the same, to kill without hesitation or regards, and he hated it. He really did.

He sat down Indian style and closed his eyes, focusing on the energy within him. It wasn't as difficult as it had been the first time around, probably because he had done it once before (at least in his memories he had), and his reserves were smaller. He snorted and broke the meditation. Right, of course his reserves were smaller. He was a five year old child with no demon sealed in him. Though, he thought ruefully, chakra control should be easier this time around, especially since it felt as if the chakra flew smoother in this body than in his last. God that sounded creepy. Almost like Orochimaru. Uh, that freak was alive now too. He shuddered and rose to walk again. It wouldn't do to remain in one place for too long if the Mist ninja were still wreaking havoc in the area. He'd rather not be captured by slave traders either.

That was something he had heard from Jiraiya during their training trip. He had told him about the wars in the past, and how some sold orphans as slaves. After the third ninja war, the Daimyo had forbidden it in the Fire Country, but it still happened other places. At the time it had made him angry and he had raged at how unfair it was that some people took advantage of the poor and the defenseless. Jiraiya had been silent, a distant look in his eyes, and he hadn't said more about it than that. Naruto had had the feeling that he hadn't wanted to talk about it in the first place. After the civil war he understood his reasoning. He didn't want to remember things he had done and seen during that time either.

He had to have a few more meditating session before he unlocked the chakra completely, but he could already feel it, and that was enough for now. It made him feel a little more secure. He knew how to let chakra flow to his limbs to get faster and stronger if he needed, or to his ears to hear better if he thought it would be necessary. It was his security blanket. It was the only familiar thing he had left, considering his abrupt leave to the past.

He sighed. Without a demon in his body, he could hope this life would be more…. Normal. At least as normal as a ninja's life could get, though from what he had heard about Namikaze Minato in the history he knew, that man had hardly lived a normal ninja life either. He was the first to ever receive flee on sight orders. Naruto halted in his steps and slowed to a stop. It was real. This life, this _situation, _was real. For all it mattered, he was Namikaze Minato. That was a terrifying thought.

The man had been a legend, a war hero and a beloved leader. The strongest Hokage was what they had heard in the Academy. The man who stopped the Kyuubi single handed. He had saved Konoha that day, at the cost of his own life. Could he…. Could he live up to that?

Naruto didn't know, and it scared him. He didn't want to not live up to it. If it wasn't because of him Minato would have lived after all. He would have done all those things, and he would have succeeded. History had showed that. Naruto knew that no one else but the Kyuubi knew that, but he still felt as if he had stolen a great person from the world. He looked up at the grey sky and bit his lower lip, thinking. He wanted to live up to the name he knew from history, the man who had been his father, according to the Kyuubi. He would do his best, for now, and when time came he would know if he had succeeded as well.

That resolved, he continued to follow the smell of the sea, and wondered just how far little Minato had run the previous day. He didn't know from which direction, either, but that didn't matter. He had woken up in the middle of nowhere anyway. He could, come think of it, look at the stars. He was pretty good at that. You didn't try to keep a bundle of friends and comrades safe in the wide forests of Fire Country for three years without learning something about navigation. Just like it didn't happen without growing up. He winced at that. He would probably be the most grownup five year old in the history of mankind. He decided to blame it on witnessing the murders of his parents. Sasuke had gotten away with being rather broody and antisocial because of that, so why not being too mature for your age?

Yeah…. Sounded about as retarded as he thought it would. Traumatized would be more like it. Though, he had seen enough to be traumatized twice over, and still wasn't. Ninja training did that to you. Not to mention having a bunch of mutated (he was sure Akatsuki members were mutated, one way or another) stalkers trying to suck a demon from your body. Perhaps he was traumatized and didn't notice.... Gods only knew what a sane person was supposed to think. Someone like him was definitely not the right person to ask that.

While he mused over his mental state, or lack thereof, he had reached the edge of the forest. What he saw didn't really lift his spirits any. He saw the sea. Okay, there was a beach and a rundown old cottage, and a equally run down, moldy and makeshift harbor, but it didn't give him any hopes of finding out where he was, when he was and more importantly, how he could get to Konoha from here. He chose that moment to start swearing. He felt he had earned the right.

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If you have questions, you are welcome to ask. If you have something constructive to say, you are welcome to say it. If you are just bored and want to rant on someone to diminish your frustations, please note that I am not interested in it. In other words; if you write a review make it count.


	2. Someone else

This is a shorter chapter than the last, and personally I think it is rather boring, but it had to be written. The next one will be more interesting, at least I feel it is more interesting to write it. I have to admit it is slove going since I have to take some pretty strong painkillers. I've been sleeping for hours every day. Not that I have much else to do.... Well, I think the next chapter should be out this evening or tomorrow, if I don't fall asleep again.

Look at the first chapter for a disclaimer. I really don't want to write one for every chapter, so just consider characters and univers disclaimed for the future chapters as well. Please?

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_While he mused over his mental state, or lack thereof, he had reached the edge of the forest. What he saw didn't really lift his spirits any. He saw the sea. Okay, there was a beach and a rundown old cottage, and a equally run down, moldy and makeshift harbor, but it didn't give him any hopes of finding out where he was, when he was and more importantly, how he could get to Konoha from here. He chose that moment to start swearing. He felt he had earned the right. _

1.

While experiencing the most exasperating time of his life due to the lack of information of any kind, he had, for the most part, accepted that he was stranded where he was. The old cottage wasn't that moldy; it did provide a shelter, and he had no use for the harbor so he didn't care if it was about to fall apart. He had gathered dead branches from the forest floor to create a fire in the old fireplace, which had taken most of his depleted energy the first day and night, and later used the materials left in the cottage to set traps in the forest.

He was by no means an expert on hunting, or picking herbs and wild vegetables for that matter, but he had lived in the forest for three years. Granted, he had had friends around to help him, but still. He had picked up some things. Like the most used herbs for medicine and food. He had helped Hinata and Shino pick them several times. It was often them who did it, or Chouji, but the latter usually hung around Shikamaru. No one blamed him; Naruto knew he would have done the same for his best friend. He shook his head to get rid of the depressing thoughts and left to inspect his small traps. He couldn't catch anything larger than rabbits, but it was fine. It was only him after all, and he was happy with what he could get.

The forest around the cottage was always damp, and every morning the mist hung around the stems and kept the grass wet to mid morning. It was frustrating for someone who tried his best to keep dry and warm. He wasn't the wisest person around (okay, he didn't have many to compete with at the moment) but he knew a child's body would get sick if it was left wet and cold. It had become something of an obsession of his not to become ill. For the most part it was because there was no one there to make sure he survived if he did. He had, after all, a reputation to live up to. It didn't matter that only he and the Fox knew about that particular bit of information.

The cottage, old as it was, held nothing valuable for anyone who just happened to pass by. He had found a few small knives, which should be used on fish and not animals, but it was all he had, and enough material to create some traps. There was no personal items left, not even clothes, but a rickety closet had some woolen blankets. It wasn't bad if he curled up by the fire at night. Not that there was much more room than that. The cottage had one room, and that was that.

He had spent the time surviving and getting used to the small body of a five year old. It was an _inconvenience_. It was small. It was weak. It was untrained. It was exasperatingly easy to hurt. It was frustrating. Share willpower had kept him going for the first week, when all he wanted was to curl up and howl his frustrations to the depressing grey sky. The only thing he found positive was unlocking his chakra. It had been his light in the darkest moment he could remember when he managed to feel the warmth of the chakra circulate through him. He had laughed like a madman for the longest time, tears streaming down his cheeks and streaking his dusty skin. It was the only time it was a good thing no one was around, because if there was, they would surely have locked him up at the nearest asylum.

He stopped briefly by a bush to pick the few berries it had left at this time of year. They were watery and didn't taste much, but he had stopped caring a long time ago. It felt as a long time ago, but it wasn't really. Only three short years. He tilted his head back, to look at the sky and let the sadness for once appear in his eyes and on his face. There were so many who died. They were crushed by Pain, or they were killed in the civil war. It felt so meaningless to fight your own, but for ideals…. To stand up for what you believed in, to protect what you cherished…. He had killed Konoha ninja. He had willingly thrown his forehead protector away when the mark no longer stood for what he felt Konoha was. Was that what a missing nin felt? If so he understood them at some level.

He had come to terms with the deaths. It was the only thing to do, when people die. You either get over it, stands up and walks on, or get dragged down by it, or so Ino's father said. He was supposed to know all about it too, so he trusted the man to know what he was talking about. Sometimes he wasn't so sure; Inoichi could drink himself into oblivion and would talk nonsense until he past out. Of course it didn't help; the sting was still there. The sting of remorse, of guilt, of unanswered questions and longing. The god damned longing for just one more minute, just one more chance to say all the things he wanted to tell them, to see them one more time and burn their image into his mind. The worst part was the last. When their picture faded from his memory and he no longer managed to see them in detail in his mind. The shade of their hair shifted, their eyes changed and their faces were obscured. In the end, everyone he knew from the future, all of them, they would be nothing but faded memories. Like an old black and white photograph. That was the reason he early on decided not to take that particular route of dealing with his issues. If that was the correct term.

He shook his head, unsure of how long he had been standing in the forest looking up at the sky, and continued on his way. He would never get the answers he wanted, so there was no use standing still and catch a cold or something nastier.

He had explored quite a bit of the forest around the cottage. It wasn't exiting in any way. It was normal. It was a forest. If he had expected something interesting, he would have been disappointed. However, since he hoped beyond hope the forest was normal, if nothing else in his life was, he was glad. There were no large and deadly animals lurking around, no sneaky ninja in the tree tops, no miscellaneous demons laughing at him and most importantly; no signs of an enemy.

It was because of that the faint sound of human voices caught him so off guard. He hadn't heard anything but the birds and the small forest animals for the two weeks he had stayed there, and now, suddenly, he heard voices. He wasn't sure if he was more anxious or more relieved. It was unnerving to know he was_ afraid _of other humans. He felt like the rabbits he was hunting and scoffed at himself. He was a ninja, he had survived three years of persecution, killing ROOT ANBU and dodging Akatsuki at the same time. He shouldn't be afraid, and yet. And yet….

He masked his chakra. It wasn't really hard, not when he knew how to do it and had as little chakra as he did at the moment. He walked as silent as he could, crouching a little to make himself smaller out of habit and tensed his muscles, ready to be pounced on at any time. He walked closer step by step when he didn't sense anything. The soft grass under his feet softened his steps further and the still air prevented his scent to be carried by his movements. His heart was drumming when he got close enough to hear the voices clearly. They sounded young and slightly agitated.

With nothing to lose (if he didn't count his life) he carefully climbed up a tree to gaze down at a group of teens and children. There were three teenagers. They wore forehead protectors, but he didn't recognize the village symbol at all. That didn't disturb him though. From what he had heard, there were plenty of villages that were eradicated during the wars. They were in the middle or at the end of the second one, so chances were they were from one who was destroyed when he lived. He blinked. That sounded wrong.

The children were from his age and up to ten – eleven. They looked tired and frightened, and listened to the three teenagers argue without interest. It seemed they didn't care. He remained where he was and observed the quarrel with some amusement. It reminded him of the time team seven was new and they would argue of the best way of doing whatever task Kakashi – sensei assigned them. He frowned. This was different. They weren't doing some team bonding lesson, this was real life and if they made the wrong decision, they would die. He shook his head when the group split up. Each of the teenagers took a smaller group of the children and left the clearing. One of them, a male with red hair, gazed after his two team mates with a defeated look to him, before he herded the children towards the tree Naruto was in.

They past right under him, but they didn't notice him. The children were too young to notice. There was a girl with auburn hair, almost the same shade as the teenager boy, another girl with sleek black hair and one with curly brown hair. They were accompanied by two boys; one with the red hair and one with black hair. The two with black hair were holding hands and were without doubt siblings, while the others blindly stumbled along the forest floor on their own. None of them could be older than eight years of age, while the youngest girl, the curly haired one, was probably three or four years. Younger then he was at the moment.

The teenager, the ninja who should have noticed him, was too tired. Naruto could see it from where he sat. His clothes were ruffled and splattered with blood. His hair was matted with it, and Naruto smelled it when the teenager walked under the branch he was sitting on. Some of it was fresh; making him believe the teen had some open wounds somewhere. His skin was pale enough, and the lines marring his young face were from stress and weariness. Naruto had seen lines like that on the face of his comrades. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were; refugees from a village under attack.

He silently jumped from the tree to the next and followed them until they had nearly past by the area he stayed in. He didn't think when he left the safety of the dense tree tops to land quietly in the grass behind the small group. The ninja tensed and whirled around, one hand gripping a kunai and the other reaching out to stop the children from going anywhere. Perhaps even in a gesture to shield them. Naruto just tilted his head and looked at the forehead protector. It didn't tell him anything, he had never seen anyone with a swirl as their mark, but he assumed he had been correct in his earlier deduction.

"I'm not going to harm you," Naruto said, rather affronted, but understood none the less. If it was something he could understand it was the adrenaline driven senses just after a battle. Especially when he wasn't in a safe place. The red head relaxed just a little upon seeing a small child. He dropped the arm he was holding out in front of the children and lowered the kunai. It wasn't something an experienced ninja would do, but he supposed his young age worked in his favor.

"Who are you?" the ninja asked him. He was staring at his shabby attire and dirt smudged face. Naruto tilted his head a little. This was where he decided if he could give up what he was to chase a legend. He wasn't sure if he could do exactly the same, but he wouldn't let the original man down. He would make the name known to all, or die trying. This, he knew, was where he said good bye to himself and let his own person die to become something else.

"Minato. My name is Namikaze Minato," he said, and smiled. He smiled because he could, because they were human like him and they needed help as much as he needed it. They were like him; lost and alone. This was where he embraced his new life for real.

The teenager, unaware of what passed behind the blue eyes of the small child, nodded.

"I am Uzumaki Kinuto, and this is my cousins, Kushina and Kaero," he indicated the red headed girl, who was looking rather perturbed about something, and the red headed boy "the twins are Mizu Yuki and Yahiro, the curly haired girl is Kana."

The children all looked around their protector at him, and he let his eyes travel over them as he heard their names. None of them was any he recognized from his time. They had probably died before he was born or old enough to remember them, or they became civilians.

"Where are you going?" he asked tentatively. He didn't want to admit it, but at this time he would follow them even if they were heading for the most remote village they could find. He was desperate for company.

"Ch, Konoha, of course. It is the only place we can head. They are the only allies we have left," Kinuto said and for a moment, he looked annoyed. Minato guessed that was the pinnacle of the debate they had had before the group split up.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked and braced himself for a disappointment. It wasn't wise for any ninja to just pick up strays along the way. You never knew if they were spies or not, but the red head looked at him and shrugged. He needn't have worried. The ninja scratched his head and muttered something about one more didn't matter.

"You are as much a refugee as us I guess. The country has been absorbed by Water. The Daimyo made it official a week ago, but the Elders refused to go down without a fight. Whirlpool is no more, for better or for worse," he said and sounded far off and nonchalant. Minato saw through it, but didn't comment. The children behind him needed to believe the one who was left to protect them was strong enough to do it. They needed to feel at least a small amount of safety.

It did, however, answer the question as to where he was and when. The land of Whirlpool had been persuaded, that was the word the history books used, to surrender to and join with Water Country at the end of the second great shinobi war.

"They killed my mother," he said out of the blue, and the children all gave him sympathetic looks. He had to remember to play the wounded and emotionally strained child more often. It worked well with the image of someone trying his best to live up to some imaginary expectations. The children in front of him may not have his extra years to draw from, but he was sure they, at least those old enough, would try to do their best just to make their parents proud. He did, when he was young and everyone shunned him anyway. He wasn't sure if they had seen what happened to their village, but he was sure they understood that they were orphans like him, and that created a bond between them.

"I…. If you will let me, I'll come with you to Konoha," he said and nodded to himself. Finally he was getting somewhere. Kinuto smiled tiredly.

"Sure kid. What's your name again?" he asked, and put away the kunai. He wouldn't need it, and a five year old wasn't much of a threat anyway, even if he could hunt rabbits. Minato took a deep breath. This was it. From here on out, there was no going back.

"Namikaze Minato."

With that, he allowed himself to be someone else.

* * *

Here it is. A few hints of what happened and how it affected Naruto before the abrupt departure to the past, and a little of how he is going to act in the future. This chapter is solely here to make the background clearer and to get the story moving. As for the names of the Oc: I don't know what they mean or if they are real names at all. I think I have read that tehy are names somewhere, so I'll use them here.


	3. Foundations of an act

Here is the next chapter. I hope you have patience with me, since I am trying to build up an epic story. There won't be much action for the next chapters either, so incase you are of the sort who enjoy bloodshed and violence you'll have to wait for that. I'd like to thank those of you who have written reviews. It is nice of you to take the time and some are helpful. I'll try not to let anyone down.

* * *

"_Sure kid. What's your name again?" he asked, and put away the kunai. He wouldn't need it, and a five year old wasn't much of a threat anyway, even if he could hunt rabbits. Minato took a deep breath. This was it. From here on out, there was no going back. _

"_Namikaze Minato." _

2.

The wall of Konoha had never been as appealing as when the small group of ragged refugees reached it. It might be large, grey and pose an intimidating barrier, but it _was_ the goal of their journey.

If Minato hadn't been so tired he would have done a victory dance, reputations be damned. Any thoughts of that were quickly squashed when they were promptly surrounded by a group of chuunin on guard duty. Minato could see metal flash briefly in the light as they arrived, but the weapons were out of sight when the young ninja landed around them.

Their leader was a slender and tall teenager with five jagged scars running from his left eye to the right side of his mouth. It looked almost as if someone had dragged a clawed hand over his face. Besides that, Minato noted how young they all were. The scared teenager was the oldest, but he couldn't be older than eighteen. His eyes were cool however, as he took in the spiral on Kinuto's forehead protector.

"What brings you here?" he asked and tilted his head to the left. His voice was smooth, but sounded as tired as the group felt. Some of the other chuunin were squatting down to rest, and Minato wondered what was going on for a patrol to look as if they hadn't slept for a week. Kinuto gazed over the small ragtag group of children and shook his head reluctantly.

"We're from Whilrpool. It's been overrun by Water. I was ordered by my superiors to bring these children to Konoha."

His tone was clipped and worn. It wasn't surprising. He had been carrying the youngest child, Kana, most of the way and kept an eye out for the others. Minato suspected he used caffeine pills liberally. The way he said children irked him, though, but it wasn't as if he could protest. He regarded the Konoha ninja, who looked genuinely shocked at what they heard.

"Are you sure? I mean, you are probably sure, you look like shit, no offence, but why haven't we heard anything?" one of the others asked, and the scarred teenager leading them gave the children a quick overall look and made a grimace. Probably because the next thing he did was to pick up a smelly, dirty six year old Kushina and motioning for the rest to follow suit. He turned to Kinuto, who handed the small Kana over when a female chuunin cooed over the sleeping girl.

"Report to the Sandaime Hokage at the Hokage Tower. You can't miss it; it is big with fire written on it. We'll bring the children to the hospital."

Minato was scoped up by a boy he vaguely recognized. He had black hair and black eyes, and a looked about as talkative as a clam. It took him a moment to realize he didn't recognize the person but the expression. The ninja had to be one of the Uchiha, and one closely related to Sasuke and Itachi, because he looked like them. He was taken back, however, when the young Uchiha smiled briefly and reassuringly. That was too foreign on the familiar facial structures to be anything close to their intent.

"Calm down kid, I'm not going to eat you," he teenager said as Minato squirmed. He couldn't help but feel intimidated by the proximity to a person with the same bloodline as the masked freak. He settled unwillingly, but wiped his face clean of any and all emotions and stared blankly at the Uchiha.

"Minato," he said glancing around. They were not running, but walking briskly. Perhaps the squad leader thought they would scare the children if they ran full speed to the village and the hospital. Kinuto was conversing quietly with the scarred leader. It was too quiet for anyone else to make out, but Minato could guess it was a summarized version of what had happened.

"What?" the Uchiha asked and blinked at the blond boy. Minato gave him a disarming smile.

"My name is Minato, it is nice to meet you mister," he said politely and tried a small bow. It wasn't easy when he was being held as tightly as he was. Again he was granted the small smile, and he had to wonder what was wrong with this Uchiha. He certainly smiled more than any he had known from that clan, but then again, he had only known three members. Two of them he had known as enemies and the third had tried to kill him more than once, so he was probably biased in his opinion.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Minato. How are you feeling?" The young man smiled amiably at the child, and hefted him a little so Minato could see his face better.

"I am fine I think, thank you for asking," Minato said with a small frown. He felt fine. Tired and sore, but that was to be expected. He had to start training this less than useful body as soon as possible. This didn't cut it. Being five years old was a drag. He still felt as if he was a dwarf and everything else was gigantic. It grated on his nerves. He teenager chuckled.

"I see. Well, they can tell for sure at the hospital. We have some of the best medics in Konoha. They can cure nearly anything."

Minato perked up. If his current means of transport was willing to talk, he might was well try to get some information from him. Enough to cover eventually slip ups on his part.

"Have you been there often?" he asked innocently, and the blue eyes looked curiously into black. The Uchiha smirked. Finally an expression Minato could relate to.

"A couple of times. I had to stay for a month once, when my left leg got stuck in an earth jutsu. It nearly squashed my entire leg bone," he said and Minato blinked.

"That sounds painful…. What is an earth jutsu?"

The wonders of inquisitive children. No one ever suspected them to have the brains to remember and understand everything they were told, but they asked anyway, and people answered. If they could be trained, and if it wasn't totally immoral, small children would have made the perfect spies. The Uchiha chuunin raised an eyebrow at the sudden question, but put it down to the fickleness of children.

"It is a ninja technique where the ninja manipulates the earth element," he answered, almost perfectly from the textbook. Minato nodded in understanding and regarded the ground they were walking on for a moment, as if in thought.

"So…. You can manipulate the air and the water as well? And fire?" he questioned, and the chuunin seemed to be pleased with his understanding.

"Yes, but there is also the lightning element. It isn't as common as the fire element in Konoha, though, but other countries have many lightning based techniques. All the five elements have their weaknesses and strengths, so it is smartest to learn some of all even if it might be difficult."

"Can I learn how to do it?" Minato continued and bit his lower lip for emphasis. The chuunin laughed heartily.

"If you want to be a ninja you can do it eventually, but it takes a lot of training to utilize any of the elemental techniques."

"Can you tell me how to be a ninja then?" he asked with large, blue eyes directed at the poor chuunin. The young man looked mildly uncomfortable with the pleading look.

"I don't think so, but you could attend the ninja Academy, and when you graduate you may become a ninja of Konoha. Why would you want to become a ninja anyway? It is dangerous and not nice at all…." He trailed off, and Minato had a distinct feeling that the Uchiha spoke from the heart this time. He was a bit touched that the unknown Uchiha felt somewhat protective of him even if they barely had met. Perhaps it was because he was a small child who looked too innocent for his own good.

"I want to have new friends, and I don't want them to die like mama. If I learnt to be a ninja, then I can look after them so they don't get killed, right?"

Again, the chuunin looked taken back, but he nodded all the same with a sad smile.

"I am sorry to hear about your mother. There are a lot of children in Konoha too who have lost their parents in the war, so you might some friends who will understand how it is. Even so, you seem older than you look…. How old are you?"

Minato smiled to cover up the dread he felt.

"Five, but I am a big boy. I can read and do math, and mama said I am really good at it."

The Uchina simply gave a solemn nod, and hid his amused smile. Minato put his easy acceptance down to the fact that he came from a clan who produced amazing child prodigies at random intervals. If the Uchiha clan could do it, why shouldn't others be able to do it as well? It was something they had spent hours pondering over in the future, but eventually Shikamaru had come up with a possible solution.

Some of it was thanks to their eyes. To copy techniques with a glance wad useful no matter how irritating it was to anyone else. Some, he suspected, was breeding. They bred ninja like the Inuzukas bred their dogs and trained their offspring from an early age. It was in their blood, so to speak, and meaning more than their special eyes. The last, and the part that had them howling with laughter, was the theory of the one tracked mind. Sakura had theorized that their mind was too one tracked to focus on more than one goal at the time, resulting in them spending all their time reaching for that one goal. It led them to wonder if they could 'cure' the Uchihas with confusion. Shikamaru said it was a bad idea; their brain might suffer from a complete meltdown as a consequence.

Minato didn't ask more about the ninjas after that. He looked around them at the life in Konoha during the second great ninja war. There were a lot more ninja's outside. He could see the black shadows of the ANBU leaping over their heads sometimes, making him believe they patrolled during daytime as well, and the constant reminder of the ninjas presence through the Uchiha police corps. He also saw the serious looks on everyone's faces, and one crowed where the people talked in hushed tones and were too immersed in their gossip to see the patrol coming back with a group of tattered young children. He could only guess that someone had died. It reminded him of how they had gathered together in the future whenever someone didn't make it.

Other than that, the streets and the houses looked almost identical to what he remembered. It was the same bright colors and wooden structures, the same smell of trees, earth and fresh air, mixed with the smells of fruit, spices and herbs from the marketplace, and food from the stands and restaurants. It made his stomach twist uncomfortably. He hadn't eaten anything but rabbit and the few berries and nuts he could find in the forest for ages. He really wanted something else, something he didn't have to hunt, slay and gut before preparing it.

The people buzzing around were tauntingly similar to how he had known it in his future life. They went on with their daily lives as best they could, and pretended not to live in a ninja village involved in a war. He wasn't sure if he should be impressed by their ability to ignore what they didn't like to think about, or disgusted because they obviously gossiped about the war and its happenings. At least they preserved, he muse in silence.

"What do you think of Konoha so far?" the chuunin asked and gave him another of his small smiles. Minato hummed.

"It seems…. Happy. People try to be happy here, even if they are sad, tired or afraid. I like that."

"We do. If we let the war get to us, we have already lost," he Uchiha said with conviction. He looked at the child again, and Minato was unsure of what to make of the penetrating gaze upon him. The Uchiha was clearly thinking about something, and he was wondering if it was something to do with him. He hoped not.

"What will happen to us?" Minato asked as they neared the hospital. He could see some nurses helping wounded ninja outside in the park, making sure they didn't overexert themselves or escape from the hospital before they were completely patched together again. There were more of them than he remembered from his other lifetime, but this was during a war, and he knew he hadn't seen the wounded in the civil war. He had spent most of his time in the forest, far away from their hide out.

The chuunin didn't react to his question at first, opting to watch what his team leader was doing, but as the man simply exchanged a few words with a nurse and waved at the children, he turned back to the child in his arms.

"The doctors are going to make sure you are healthy. You might have to spend the night here, but it isn't bad, whatever the ninja will tell you. We don't like it because it reminds us we are still only human and not invincible."

"What will we do tomorrow when we have spent the night here?" Minato persisted, much to the amusement of the chuunin.

"Tomorrow someone will come to ask you what happened to you, and then they will ask you what you want to do now. Maybe, if you are very lucky, the Hokage himself will come by to say hello to you and wish you welcome to Konoha."

"We can stay here and become ninja?" Minato asked with a spreading smile. The Uchiha nodded and smiled back, while ruffling his hair for good measure.

Minato was well aware that the 'ask you what happened to you' was a psychological evaluation to determine if they were traumatized or otherwise mentally unstable. Too bad for them he was, at the moment, a genius child wanting to prove something to them. A possible evil little Minato jumped up and down in his mind while rubbing his hands and letting out a sinister laugh.

The room they were let down in was the worst decorated room Minato had seen. Two lives combined. It was the children's waiting room at the hospital and thus suitably decorated with painted domestic animals at the walls, painted clouds on the roof, and an abundance of stuffed animals. The colors were bright and too cheery, the animals were smiling merrily in a way animals would never do and the other children were too loud. Minato sat down in a corner to play with a ball.

First he bounced it up and down just to be left alone. Then he remembered the rasengan and placed the ball in the palm of his small hand. It was too big and threatened to roll down, but after some juggling it stayed put. Minato tried to channel chakra like he remembered, but nothing happened. He tried again with the same depressing outcome. His chakra flared, true, but it didn't shape up the way he wanted it to. It didn't do anything like he wanted it to. He let out a sigh and glared at the ball. Stupid thing.

He tried again and again, but all which happened was that he gained the attention of the remaining chuunin. The girl raised an eyebrow at the boy who was currently glaring daggers at the ball, and chuckled.

"What are you trying to do?" she asked and sat down on her hunches in front of him. Minato hadn't anticipated anyone coming over to him, and lost his concentration. The ball fell from his hand and landed with a soft thud beside him before rolling to a stop in front of the girl. She smiled and picked it up.

"I wanted it to spin," he lied easily and was surprised at how easy the lie came to him. It wasn't a complete lie, so it might be that. It was a half lie, so it was partly true as well.

The girl smiled at his childish antiques and handed the ball back to him.

"How can you use chakra? You are only, what five or six years old?" she questioned, and Minato looked at her with the blankest expression he could muster.

"This?" he asked and summoned his chakra so he felt it swirl within him.

"Yes, that is chakra," he girl said and tilted her head while regarding him like a puzzle. Minato shrugged.

"I've done it for a long time, it is easy to do. Shouldn't I do it?" he asked and laced his voice with concern.

"Oh no! It is impressive, that is all. Most children your age isn't able to unlock their chakra. I just wondered how you could do it that is all."

She was quick to reassure him, and with that done she went back to watching the other children as well. Minato kept to his corner, cursing foxes and life in general before he cursed his lot in life specifically. If it wasn't for that, he would have lived his life and died like any other human being. But nooo, he had to have an age old, selfish demon sealed in him who simply refused to die and found some bizarre way to break every law of physics he could think of. Thanks to that, he was left in as a five year old with no ninja training and couldn't even mold his chakra outside of his body. Freaking wonderful.

Brooding in the small corner, and doing an amazing impression of his former best friend if he had known it, Minato didn't notice the girl sitting beside him. When he did, he wondered how long she had been there, and what she wanted.

He hadn't talked much with the other children as they traveled. It hadn't exactly been a picnic, and Kinuto had made sure they were as silent as it was humanly possible to be. Considering the age they were, they had been very silent.

When he first had heard their names, he regretted saying his name was Namikaze. After a while, however, he knew it was the right decision. He couldn't make himself remove Minato from history. The man had done incredible things, and he wanted to see if he could live up to that. If he would be able to make that name famed all over the Elemental countries again. Since he had taken the chance to do it from the real Minato, he would do it for him, wherever that adventure took him.

Kushina, he had noticed, was a though girl. She didn't complain like the others, she didn't cry at night, she didn't look disgusted when Kinuto hunted and returned with dead animals, but she did complain loudly about not being allowed to go with him, not being allowed to go as she liked and had to stay back no matter what, wouldn't understand that she was only six years old and wasn't as unbeatable as she thought she was, pouted when she didn't get her will and reminded him overall of himself the last time he was a child. Minato wondered why no one had strung him up in a lamp post and had him hang there until he matured somewhat. Could be because he would have been a ridiculously easy target for Akatsuki that way….

Oh, well, it was a good thing to know his spirit had been inherited and wasn't a subconscious suppressing reaction to the less then optimal environment he grew up in.

"Minato, what are you going to do?" she asked him out of the blue. He broke off his musings and furrowed his brow.

"I will become a ninja, so I'll stay here no matter what."

"Hey! We can become ninja together and be the most amazing team!" she said and jumped to her feet.

"We'll be like the legendary ninja! I heard they are the best ninja from Konoha!"

Minato did not want to be like the legendary ninja. Partly because he knew their destiny, at least from his time, and partly because he felt like that would be to copy his former life. He didn't feel like doing that. He had already walked down that path once, and it didn't turn out too well. He wasn't dead, but being sent back in time to his father's body wasn't what he'd classify as a success either.

"Uhm, well, we can be friends," he offered carefully. He was pretty sure he'd graduate sooner than her, and he had every intention of doing just that. Five year old body or not, his mind was that of an eighteen year old ninja. The girl didn't seem to care.

"I bet I'll be a better ninja then you!" Kushina gushed, and Minato almost saw a ghost of his former self over her. Oh good gods, it was going to be some long, long months until he could graduate.

* * *

I have tried to make an 'human' Uchiha. I don't think all of them were loners, Obito seemed like a great guy and while many makes him out to be a sort of outcast of his clan, I'd like to think they were mostly normal. My family is large, and none of us are similar in the least. One of my younger brothers is a real catastrophe and, as I use to say, a genetic experiment gone wrong. He is the sole reason I won't give Minato the toad contract in this story. He'll have another one. Don't worry, it won't be anything usual like the tiger or dragon contract. I was thinking either ibexes, leopards, scorpions or lynxes. As for what my brother did.... Well, he put frog spawn in my drink at a family gathering. Two of my cousins and I were slightly drunk (okay, we'd just come back from a party with friends from college, we were wasted) and we didn't notice. I've never sobered up faster, and I have never trusted anyone at a garden party after that. If you want to know what the animals over symbolises, you can check out my profile. I have a different development for each animal, based on what they stand for.


	4. Future parents present friends

Uh. Here is the new chapter. I was supposed to post it yesterday but my youngest brother decided to 'keep me company'. Since I am immobile at the moment, I have to stay at my parents place (they still insist I call it home, even if I haven't lived here since I was sixteen). My youngest brother hasn't moved from home yet. He is only in his first year at college and has always been babied by three older siblings and our parents, and that is why I currently have to endure him. I swear I haven't spent this much time with him since he _was _a baby, and at that time I considered selling the wailing thing. Now I just hope he goes mute so I can lock him in a closet wihtout anyone noticing.

Anyway, I am trying to introduce some of the characters from the manga, though they will be more important in this story then in the manga. The next chapter will be the Academy, and will be titled Genius Child. It should be out this evening or tomorrow, pending on my brother and his current brother complex. I am starting to understand why Itachi didn't hang around to take care of his little brother, or bring him with him....

* * *

"_I bet I'll be a better ninja then you!" Kushina gushed, and Minato almost saw a ghost of his former self over her. Oh good gods, it was going to be some long, long months until he could graduate. _

3.

Their first day at the hospital past in a blur when someone finally decided they had waited long enough. They were first washed, and Minato had never appreciated warm water more, fed, prodded, studied and then declared healthy enough to sleep. A nurse was left with them to make sure they did, and Minato did so without hesitation. The needle she wielded was intimidating enough to quell any protests he might have had.

That had been yesterday, this day they had been herded from one person to the next, asked a multitude of questions in different wording but which basically meant the same, done a list of tasks Minato found utterly pointless, their reading and writing skills had been tested, and they had finally been allowed out in the park. Under supervision of course.

Kana, the little girl he had found out was three years old, wasn't with them. According to the nurse she had contracted meningitis. It was dangerous for such a young child, still according to the nurse they had talked to. It had damped their mood for about as long as it took them to reach the park but it was hard to feel worried when they could feel relaxed and play for the first time in weeks. Minato, however, didn't play in the sand with the rest. He settled for a swing and watched them thoughtfully.

Kushina had kept him occupied for most of the day, proclaiming their impending greatness for anyone who bothered to listen, but he had a more realistic view. He was five years old. He knew there were people who had graduated only a few years older. Kakashi and Itachi came first to his mind, and he had tried to figure out how they had done it. The answer he came up with didn't suffice to reassure him.

Firstly, his body was small. He could train it, but not too hard. It needed to grow after all, and it was far from developed. His reach wasn't anything to be proud of, so close combat was out of question, unless he wanted to head butt someone. He was also far from strong enough to take on grown opponents, even if he used chakra to strengthen his muscles. No, close combat was not something he could do at the moment, and not for another few years in the least. The solution to his problem was something that left a sour taste in his mouth.

Ever since his encounters with Itachi he had disliked genjutsu. He didn't like how it messed with someone mind, and while he felt mind games were fair game, genjutsu was something else entirely. It invaded a person's being in a way he felt was wrong on a fundamental level. You could make people believe anything, and you could break them without even drawing blood. It wasn't a fair fight, but he needed it now.

He also had to be good at marksmanship, since when and if he got into a combat situation, he had to make his hits count. Since taijutsu was out, he only had chakra and weapons to rely on. Kenjutus was out as well. He didn't think he'd do better with a sword than he would with his fists. His reach would still be too short. He didn't have the sharingan and the speed to use it in a fight, and even if he did get the speed up, he would still not be able to foresee the moves of his enemies, so it could only help him so much.

Ninjutsu was equally difficult to use practically. While he could do it, his chakra reserves were currently too small to be used like that. The ninjutsu attacks which would make enough damage to kill or permanently disable an enemy were too chakra consuming. It left him with low level ninjutsu, throwing weapons and genjutsu. He didn't have to like it, but it if he wanted to graduate and not spend years uselessly in the Academy he had to put up with it and ignore his aversion for genjutsu.

He kicked the ground the swing moved accordingly, swaying gently despite his gloomy conclusion. He would have to live with it, and swallow whatever guilt he felt over it. It couldn't be that hard, seeing as he had gotten used to the less than honorable tactics they used in the civil war. It had given him a whole new appreciation of the old saying 'all's legal in love and war'.

"Minato! What are you doing?"

That sentence had become Kushina's catchphrase when speaking to him. She used it every time he tried to think, and every time he didn't give her his undivided attention.

"Swinging," he deadpanned, and she frowned at him. He noted that she had green eyes, while her cousins were both blue eyed. It didn't have to mean anything, but he was curious about the people who would have been his family if they had lived long enough. He supposed it was an ingrained part of who a human being was.

"You know, you don't have to be alone all the time," Kushina said, and climbed onto the swing beside him.

"I am used be alone. The other children are boring," he answered sullenly. Her hurt expression made him rethink the wisdom of telling her that.

"You aren't boring, really. I'm, uhm, mama always said I am different, and I often think too much. That is why I think they are boring, because they don't think," he said, stumbling over his explanation and feeling relieved when she nodded slowly.

"You are weird, Minato, but I'll be your friend anyway. Everyone needs a friend, and we'll still be the best ninja ever when we are big enough."

'Big enough', wasn't that the problem to begin with? He knew he'd go stir crazy if he had to endure lesson after lesson on the theory of kawarimi again. The only thing he could think of as a reprieve was the lesser amount of history to go through. One war hadn't been fought yet, and one was still pending. They couldn't possible have enough history to fill out all the history lessons he remembered from his last time at the Academy.

"Hehe, thanks, I guess. You are a bit weird too, you know. I have never met a girl as loud as you before."

It was technically true. While Sakura had been violent on occasion when they were young, she had never been loud in the way Kushina was. Kushina acted like a boy; boisterous and challenging. She glared at him.

"I'm not loud. It is you who are silent. There is a difference."

They kept swinging, and Minato had nearly managed to relax when Kushina let out a loud squeal of delight and jumped from the swing while it was high in the air. He watched her fly through the air and fall to the ground with shifting expressions. At first she looked thrilled, and then she realized she had to land. With realization came fear and he saw her eyes widen as she headed for the ground.

She would have hit it hard too, if she hadn't been caught. When Minato saw who had caught her, his eyes went first wide in recognition, then moist from sadness, and then he smiled happily. He had been told once that the third Hokage was only thirteen years old when he became Hokage, but he had always thought of him as old. Now he stood in front of him with Kushina in his arms, with black hair and goatee, unwrinkled skin and a merry glint in his eyes.

Kushina wriggled and landed softly when he let her go, and whirled around to see who had saved her from an unpleasant experience. Minato silently walked up beside her and bowed to the Hokage.

"Good afternoon, Hokage – sama," he greeted to make sure Kushina understood who the man in the white robes were. Not that it would matter to her if she was anything like he used to be. She would be awed, alright, but only until she got over it. The Hokage smiled gently at the children.

"Good afternoon, child. How are you?" he asked, and even his voice was young. Not that of an old man, as Minato remembered from a past life. He wondered how old the Sandaime Hokage was now, and studied his face for a moment. He would say mid thirties, and didn't think he was too far off with that guess. It meant Asuma would be born around this time. That thought made him laugh in his mind. He was older than Asuma. Crazy, crazy world.

"I am fine, Hokage – sama. Thank you for saving Kushina. She is reckless sometimes."

"I am so not! I would have been just fine!"

Minato eyed her skeptically, but didn't pursue the issue. Instead he looked at their new companion. He wasn't sure how he should approach the Hokage in this body. They didn't know each other, and while he was sure the Hokage would still help him he wondered how to ask him.

"I am sure you would," the Hokage assured her, but his eyes were on the blond child. From what he had heard, the young boy was a genius. He had scored fully on each test he'd been given and was more advanced than other children his age. The medic he had spoken with said he understood what was going on around him like an adult would, and he didn't like to be treated like a child his own age.

"I heard you had a strenuous journey here," he said, wanting to test the child. The girl looked nonplussed at him, but the blond boy huffed. Minato wasn't sure what answer he should give, but decided to give him the most honest answer he could muster.

"It was hard, and we were tired, but Kinuto took good care of us and we weren't attacked or anything. He said we were lucky not to be," he said blandly. The Hokage smiled a small smile.

"Yes, there are a lot of bandits on the roads. The war has destroyed the life of many people and some chose to become thieves. It is sad, but that is how life is."

Minato bit his lip and gazed at the man with thoughtful eyes.

"Hokage – sama, how can we be ninja? We want to be ninja so we can take care of our friends, but I was told we had to graduate from the Academy."

At this, Kushina lit up as well. She hadn't entirely followed the conversation up to this point, not understanding all the words, but that she understood.

The Hokage looked at the two eager faces and chuckled.

"It is true you'll have to graduate from the Academy, but don't worry about it. If you want to I will make sure your names are added to the classes. I understand you," he looked at Kushina, "have had training from your clan?"

Kushina puffed her chest out and nodded proudly. Minato frowned. It wouldn't be too easy for her to adapt to not having adults to run to when she was stuck on something. He would have to help her out when he could. Kaero too, if he wanted to be a ninja.

"Don't worry! I'll tell Minato everything I know, so he won't have any trouble at all!" she promised, and it was cute, in its own way. Minato decided against letting her down right away by telling her he didn't need her help. She would understand him in due time. Right now he just wanted a friend.

"That is good, we wouldn't want him to drop out, would we?" the Hokage joked with a twinkle in his eyes. Minato raised an eyebrow and shook his head, reminding himself to let them have their fun. He didn't want to come over as a stuck up brat after all. He'd make fun of them back when he got the opportunity.

The Hokage straightened and looked at the other children playing in the sand and frowned. Of the six children from Whilrpool, three of them wanted to become ninja of Konoha, not including Kinuto. The youngest was too young and ill and the black haired twins said they didn't want anything more to do with bloodshed. They were nine, and he presumed they remembered and understood more than the younger children. Maybe not the blond boy, but he had his own reasons. The children entering the Academy would be under the martial law and considered wards of the village. The others would be put in the orphanage, and hopefully someone would adopt them in time.

Minato had taken to look around while the Hokage pondered his new charges. More children had arrived and now he could see people he vaguely recognized. Not because he recognized them personally, but because he knew how their _children _had looked when they were small. He saw Inoichi, which was particularly weird, because he had worked with the man in the future and to see him without the steely and jaded eyes he remembered felt wrong. Now he looked more like an innocent girl, the poor guy, and Minato associated him with Haku. He certainly could pass for a girl if he dressed up for it.

He saw another Yamanaka with him, a few years older, and since they didn't look like brothers he assumed it was a cousin. Babysitter and playmate in one. How convenient. They were talking to a girl with wild brown hair and red markings on her cheeks. That would be Kiba's mother, Tsume, as a six year old girl. Minato smirked. He had a feeling she and Kushina would get along wonderfully, or crash equally hard against each other. Either way would provide plenty of entertainment. She wasn't accompanied by a puppy, so he guessed she hadn't gotten her dog yet. The large beast of a dog had made Akamaru look like your everyday poodle. The hairs all over the place…. The drool….

He tilted his head when he heard barking, and a large grey dog came bouncing towards the girl before skidding to a halt beside her. The tongue lolled out of its mouth, and it was staring accusingly at the girl. Tsume just smiled proudly, and if what he knew of her was correct, she had just successfully escaped the Inuzuka compound and been found by the dog of a relative.

At the other side of the playground Minato could see something he was sure Neji would have appreciated. His uncle was currently unsuccessfully trying to free himself from one of the nets used to climb in, and his brother stood by and watched him curiously. A woman with long dark hair observed him with a bemused smile on her face. She had to be their mother, because she did nothing to help the Hyuuga clan heir, and there were two other members of the clan sitting down at a bench close by. They were playing a game of shogi, and didn't seem to give a damn what their heir was up to.

He could see other children as well, but didn't recognize them like he did the parents of his friends in the future. It was rather anticlimactic to see them as children and not the powerful and wise ninja he knew. They behaved like children, and that…. Was unsettling. Maybe he shouldn't hope for Inoichi to gain the eyes of someone who had done one too many interrogations, or for Hiashi to gain that emotionless face, but it didn't make it better that he _knew_ they could get those looks.

Shaking himself to get rid of the thoughts, he tuned back on the Hokage. He too had gotten from wherever his thoughts had been wandering, and focused on the not so happy little girl in front of him. She had been trying to get his attention, and since he was used to deal with his advisors, he was used to ignore unimportant sounds. Not everything they wanted to talk about was important after all, but they were his teammates, and he didn't have the heart to tell them no when they came by to relate the latest happenings in their lives. Most of it was completely useless to him as Hokage, even if it was interesting to him as their friend. He only hoped they one day managed to differ between the roles.

"Yes, you will be living with your cousins. In fact, that is why I came here today. I wanted to let you know of your living arrangements. As I said, you will be living with your cousins, and Minato will live in the apartment beside yours. Kinuto agreed to check in on him from time to time and to help him with anything he could. Minato is also allowed to stay with you whenever he wants to," the Hokage informed them, and Minato quickly nodded.

He understood, perhaps better than anyone, how the law worked for orphans in the military system of Konoha. They were mostly left on their own, in the belief that they were old enough to be trained as soldiers and thus old enough to take care of themselves, but someone would make sure just to be safe. It was simple and it produced lots of slightly disturbed ninjas. Just look at how Kakashi and Gai turned out. Though, considering their lifestyle and work, they would have ended up disturbed either way. Might as well start them early: It built character.

"Kinuto will pick you up later, but he had some things he had to do before he could do that. In the meantime, you should try to make some friends, hm?" the Hokage continued mildly, and Minato sighed. Yes, make friends indeed. It wasn't enough that he had to endure one babbling six years old, he was expected to thrive among them. He couldn't wait till he hit puberty. Even so, he thanked the Hokage politely, and kicked Kushina in the shin to make sure she did too. Honestly, to have been raised by parents she was awfully dense when it came to certain things, or she didn't care. The latter was possible the most likely reasoning.

The Hokage continued on the talk to the other children, and Minato was in half a mind to follow him, but let it drop. He wouldn't be able to get to know what he wanted to know from him now anyway. He would have to check at laws of graduation on his own. He wondered just how young he could be, if there even was a lower age limit for graduating, and what the requirements were.

Kushina had gotten tired of the swings, and dragged him with her to the girl with the dog. Minato could say a lot about the wisdom of approaching an unknown dog to pet it, but kept his silence and let her break the ice. He watched as she announced their arrival and asked if it was alright if she petted the dog. Tsume gave her consent, and the girls soon rolled around in the grass with the dog. Minato wrinkled his nose at the unhygienic behavior. True, he had done the same as a child, but that was before he knew better.

"It is hard to tell who the dog is," a voice muttered beside him, and Minato looked from the giggling girls to the blond Yamanaka looking on with the same wrinkled nose as he currently sported. Who would have thought Inoichi was such a cleanly child.

"I wonder if they know what is in the drool," Minato responded and felt a shiver down his spine when he saw Kushina being licked over her mouth and nose. Some things were simply disgusting, and dog sliver was one of them. Dogs put their noses everywhere, sniffed each other in unmentionable places and where their nose went, their tongue followed. He did not want to have a tongue that had been any of those places all over his face unless it was a cute girl's, and for that he would have wait at least ten years to fully appreciate it.

"They wouldn't care. If that girl is the same as Tsume she'll like it," Inoichi informed dully, and Minato grimaced.

"Her name is Kushina, and if the girl, Tsume, likes to be loud and noisy they are most likely the same. I am Namikaze Minato, by the way, it is nice to meet you," he said and tilted his head in a greeting.

"My name is Yamanaka Inoichi. I am not a girl," the other boy said sternly while he cast a glare at Tsume, and Minato stiffened a smile. He was sure there was a story behind this, but he wouldn't pry for the moment.

The two blonds looked at each other and like all small boys they decided the girls could take care of themselves and went to find other small boys to play with. Minato smiled as they neared the Hyuuga twins. He had subtly steered Inoichi towards them, because he was curious. They certainly didn't act like the noblest clan in Konoha at the moment, and to see Hiashi try to figure out how the net was supposed to work was entertaining. They might give him some hints and get to know Hizashi as well. It was strange, but the people he knew as parents were now his potential friends and classmates.

* * *

Finally finished with this one. I am looking forward to be able to actually write more of the plot.... though, screwing with my brother's head is almost as much fun. I can't convince him he was found in the forest anymore, or came with the car as an extra bonus (he sadly grew out of believing that), but I can still twist his head pretty good. Cruel, me? Nono, never heard of it. Entertainment I say, entertainment.


	5. Genius Child

_The two blonds looked at each other and like all small boys they decided the girls could take care of themselves and went to find other small boys to play with. Minato smiled as they neared the two Hyuuga twins. He had subtly steered Inoichi towards them, because he was curious. They certainly didn't act like the noblest clan in Konoha at the moment, and to see Hiashi try to figure out how the net was supposed to work was entertaining. They might give him some hints and get to know Hizashi as well. It was strange, but the people he knew as parents were now his potential friends. _

* * *

4.

The sun filtered in the windows in a small apartment to the east of Konoha. The building was ordinary, to the point where people would pass it by without a second glance. It held four apartments; two upstairs and two downstairs and had small gardens at the front of the building towards the street. Behind it was another street, this one less used and the home of no less than eight homeless cats.

Across that street was a smaller row of houses occupied solely of civilians. That wasn't really important, however. What was important was the lake behind those houses. There was a small path around it, and an area of greenery between the lake and the buildings surrounding it. For most of the populace in Konoha, it didn't mean much. It was a lake and a small park, and the usually visitors were couples in love, or elderly people trying to get away from the hustle and bustle in the village. The lakeside even had a small platform with benches and tables if someone wanted to have a picnic there. It wasn't often, but it happened that someone was there, and if they came by during the afternoon or the evening, chances were they would happen upon a small blond boy training to be a ninja.

To Minato it was the perfect place. It had water and trees, and area to train. He would set up blinks in the shrubbery and between the trees to throw shurikens and kunais, and practice his chakra control. After having lived his former life with terrible chakra control, it was an odd feeling to suddenly have excellent control. It wasn't perfect, and he didn't need it to be perfect since he wasn't opting to be a medic, but it was still way above the regular. It baffled him again and again how easily the chakra flowed in his body, and he wondered if it was something to do with the body, or if everyone had their chakra flowing like this without a seal to constantly feed more chakra into their system.

When he first started he had nearly cried when he discovered how little chakra he actually had, but it had increased slowly as he kept training. He could hold the transformation technique for over two hours without significant drain on his reserves, which he wouldn't have considered an achievement in his former life, but now considered a significant step up. True, it was an E – ranked, low chakra consuming technique, but his body was small and there was only so much chakra it could produce. It had taken him a while to accept that, but he _had _accepted he would do with what he had already the day they were released from the hospital. That had led him to review all he knew of genjutsu, which was abysmal little.

To be praised as a genius had helped him overcome that easily. The first years at the Academy were all theory and physical training. They didn't do chakra until the children were eight, but he had unlocked his and the teachers quickly came to the conclusion that he was bored. He could answer any question they asked (the books were made for seven year olds after all), do any task they sat him and for someone so young, complained surprisingly little. The only time he had uttered words of discouragement was during a field excursion to the forest, where they were to learn the basics of eatable plants. He had looked at the plants, and told them rather bluntly that he had lived off of these plants after the death of his mother and refused to eat them again unless he was about to starve to death.

They were right, he was bored, but for completely different reasons. The first years, consisting mostly of children six or seven years old, depending on when their parents felt it prudent to start their ninja education, weren't all that great at reading. It was slow going, and he wanted to bang his head in the wall more than once when another brat stuttered through the text. It might have to do with having an entirely different brain then in his last body (again, the thought of having something in common with the Orochimaru he remembered made him shiver), but he had a better memory. Not photographic by any means, but it was better. He didn't have to read the same part again and again to remember, and he even understood what it said. He couldn't be sure if it was because he physically had another brain, or because his mind was mature and was able to concentrate on something for more than five minutes. Either way he didn't complain.

Admitting that yes, Minato was fully capable of reading, writing, doing math and even knew the entire curriculum of basic ninja theory, the teachers had let him skip a year and put him with their second years.

Kushina had not been happy with him for that. She had sulked for a week before she forgave him, and he had to tell her how to unlock her chakra to earn that forgiveness. Not that she was capable of sitting still long enough to do it yet, but she was getting there. She would probably unlock it at the same time as the children from clans, considering how they had relatives showing them how to do it and motivating them.

Minato, while happy he didn't have listen to the stuttering anymore, was less than pleased with being placed with the second years. The second years was the first actual ninja class, which in peacetime lasted for four years and in war time for two or, in most cases, three years. Most children were eight years, or nine, if they didn't make it through the first year the first time they tried, and would be about ten or eleven when they graduated in a war time. Twelve in peacetime. One could say they were arguably annoyed with the 'genius' showing them up, and they didn't hesitate to let their feelings known.

While annoying, it wasn't the reason Minato didn't like it. He had wanted to be placed in the graduating class straight away. Instead he found himself reciting the founding of Konoha and the correct way of handling kunais. The last part had proven to be somewhat useful. In his new body, his aim was off. While it was still impressive for someone who, apparently, didn't have any previous ninja training and was five years old, soon to be six, it wasn't what he would like it to be. He would like to live to be older than eighteen this time around, and to do that he had to survive his childhood first.

Going through the basic Academy taijutsu simply proved his previous grievances with a small body. He could do the katas perfectly, but if the opponent was someone larger than an eight year old, he wouldn't be able to do much. As frustrating as that was, he had time and people willing to help him with his genjutsu. It was incredible what the teachers were willing to teach him if he asked nice enough and reminded them that he was a prodigy.

Not that they needed reminding most of the time. They were talking about him in the corridors, and at their lunchroom. He had heard them, when he went to ask his sensei about a genjutsu he had found. When one of them had had a practical lesson, they were praising him as if he was the best thing to happen since electricity. He wondered if this was what Itachi and Kakashi had to go through, because if it was, he felt sorry for them already.

To begin with it was good to have the expectations directed at him. It felt exhilarating to know that they really thought he could do all the tasks they gave him, and believed in him. It was a new feeling, since he hadn't had it the first time he went through the Academy. Okay, it wasn't a fair to compare the two. This time around he had all the memories from a life as a ninja and a war, a mind which was matured and experienced, even if it was only in his head. No matter what it was, the expectations soon got old, and the constantly raising of those expectations made them equally harder to live up to. It was as if they never got satisfied. As soon as he proved he could do something, they found something more advanced for him to do. And so it went….

If he had been a child for real, he knew he would have been terrified of letting them down. Now he simply did what they asked, even if it sometimes took him the entire afternoon and evening to do it. He didn't know why he did it though. That was something he, as introspective as he could be, hadn't figure out, or didn't want to figure out. Some of it was actual fear. He wanted them to believe he was a genius after all, and he wanted them to remember the name Namikaze Minato as one of the brightest students they had ever had. He didn't want to think what might happen if he didn't live up to that, so in a way, he was caught in the same trap an actual child would fall for. It was a never-ending circle of fear and exhilaration.

His interest in genjutsu had been noted by the teachers, though, and that was the reason why he was currently by the lake at seven in the morning. Yesterday he had been unable to complete a genjutsu technique, which had rendered him unable to sleep most of the night. At five he gave up on sleeping and went out to stubbornly get the stupid technique done. It was the highest ranking one he had tried, a C – ranked one, and it was a hell of a lot more trouble than the D – ranked genjutsu techniques he had tried. He had of course mastered the clone technique. He wasn't even sure of that was something he should even mention, but the teachers seemed to be beyond themselves when he created two perfect clones at his first try. His first try in front of them, that was. It hadn't taken him long, but he had been practicing them on his own beforehand. It was another occasion when he marveled over the differences in his chakra control.

The other two techniques had taken him longer. Mostly because he had no previous experience with them to fall back on. He had to learn them by trial and error, and with genjutsu that was difficult. It was hard to tell whether or not the technique was done right when he used it on animals, and he didn't want to try them out on a passing civilian. He had toyed with the idea of asking one of his friends for help, but didn't want to use genjutsu on them outside of a spar. He wasn't sure if he wanted to use it on them during a spar either, for that matter. In the end, he had ended up asking his teachers for help, and they had let him try his genjutsu out on them.

They were both D - ranked; Demonic Illusions: Hell Viewing Technique and Mist Servant Technique. The first one was a basic for a whole series of Demonic Illusions. Most of them were currently out of his skill set, but he had hopes of starting on them within a year or at the most two. The simplest one, the one he had learnt, showed the target a horrifying vision which would appear real to the target. It was exactly what Minato hated the most with genjutsu, but when he had mastered it he had been proud all the same. He put it down to knowing that he could, with this one mastered, master all the other Demonic Illusions if he put his mind to it.

The technique he had worked on for two hours straight while the sun rose was actually a set of two. They were named Demonic Illusion: False Surrounding Technique and Demonic Illusions: Double False Surrounding Technique. The first basically changed the appearance of an object or an area, while the second one would weave a secondary illusion on top of the first. While getting the first one to work was easy enough, blending the secondary layer on top of the first proved to be close to impossible without disrupting the first layer. At least he had felt like that.

The chakra of the first illusion would waver in contact with the second layer, and thus be disrupted. It was the general idea of disrupting or ending a genjutsu after all, to disturb the flow of chakra screwing with your senses. He had been unable to come up with an idea of what to do to make them meld together like they should without actually melding, and that had kept him awake. After turning over in his bed more times than he chose to keep count of, he had realized how his blanket had twisted around him and trapped him in a cocoon of cloth. From that he had realized he could do the same with the chakra of the illusion. If the first layer was a steady layer with chakra, like a flat blanket, the second layer could twist around the first without touching the first. Instead of two flat blankets on top of each other, he needed one flat blanket, and one twisted blanket around it. It was easy enough in theory. Practice always proved harder.

With the theory down, at least he had something to work from. He had been working steadily for two hours, and finally thought he had managed to get it right. It was a major achievement; he had been trying to do it for nearly a month now. He smirked and allowed himself to lie down in the soft grass and just listen to all the sounds of the awakening village.

The vendors were opening their stands, the shops were opening one by one and people started to move around. He never got tired of listening to and observing Konoha like this. It reminded him of how it had been before Pain leveled it, and what he had fought for in the civil war. Maybe it was a defensive reaction on his part, to justify some of what they had done, but he chose to believe they had done the right thing. It was also calming, to know that the people around him was part of Konoha, just like him. They were all part of the same village, shared the same home, and that created a bond between them, even if they didn't know everyone else in the village.

He stretched out and lazily watched the sun sparkle in the water as it rose high enough for the sunrays to hit it. If it wasn't for his stomach grumbling for food and the Academy, he could easily have fallen asleep there seeing as he had finally finished the damned jutsu. A sense of accomplishment washed over him as he made his way past the civilian houses and cordially greeted some of his new neighbors.

He had made sure to get to know them enough to greet them by name when he saw them, and to appear as the perfect little genius child he was pretending to be. Actually, he had picked apart everything he knew of the geniuses from his future life and come to a conclusion. They were all, without fail, well liked. That is, unless they did something to discourage that feeling, like killing off most of your clan or being rather homicidal like Gaara used to be. It didn't matter how antisocial they acted, people still loved them to bits. He didn't want to go down that road, even if had noticed that he spent little time doing what most six years old do. It wasn't really his fault; once upon a time he would have found it fun to play tag, but he was too old for that now.

Besides that, he did spend time with Kusihna and Inoichi. They were often joined by Tsume, who was talking about getting her dog once they had graduated to the next class. He was also their primary source of homework help, as he had dubbed it. Kushina lived next door to him, and while she had an older cousin, he was most of the time out on missions, or taking care of the youngest Uzumaki. Five year old Kaero was nothing like Minato was, and acted more like a three year old in desperate need of attention.

The other two had their clans, of course, but they claimed it was funnier to do their homework together, at his place. He didn't mind, he actually liked to be the center of a group of friends, but sometimes their expectation levels were even higher than the once directed at him from the teachers. They seemed to think he had the answers to every question they could think of, and while to them he could act omnipotent, he was sure there would come a day when he would have to say 'I don't know'. He wondered what would happen that day, and if they would still look at him whit the same amazement and awe.

His apartment wasn't large; it had a bathroom, a bedroom and a combined living room and kitchen. He liked it, though, and it was a home. It wasn't just a tree in the middle of a forest, where weather and enemies could surprise him at any moment. He smiled slightly as he made his way past the kitchen table, where Kushina had forgotten her homework the previous day. Seriously, she could be so forgetful it made him cringe. If she didn't prolong her attention span that forgetfulness was going to get her killed one day.

He glanced at the clock and hurried to take a shower, change clothes and boil water for tea while toasting bred. He could predict Kushina and her little cousin pretty well after almost a year of living next door to them. They would get up at half past seven in the morning, and if Kinuto was home, that wasn't a problem. If he wasn't home, Kushina would try her hand on breakfast, before giving it up as a lost cause and head over to him. He would be ready with tea and toasts, and not comment on her lack of domestically skills. She was only seven years old, and he didn't expect her to be a master chef by any means. He only hoped she got better in time.

Today, on the other hand, he was less than pleased with the notion of having the two exuberant cousins over for breakfast. He was _tired_, damn it, and keeping up with them was a trial in and of itself. He busied himself with reading her paper on the proper use of Body Replacement Technique, Clone Technique and Transformation Technique. It was the standard three Academy techniques, together with the Rope Escape Technique and Cloak of Invisibility Technique. He absentmindedly corrected her fourth hand sign for the Body Replacement from Tiger to Dog, and pointed out the errors she made in her spelling.

As he had foreseen, at eight there was a rapt knock on his door before it flew open and Kaero waved at him brightly. He hadn't said much since their arrival in Konoha, and didn't generally speak unless he had to. He was slightly more open around people he knew well, but he was bound to be the odd one out when he started the Academy in a year. Minato put it down to the whole ordeal he'd been through. Kushina said he was shy. Speaking of which….

"Kushina, you didn't get the hand seals right," he said, and lifter her paper so she could see. For a moment she looked confused as to what he was talking about, before he saw that tell tale coloring of her cheeks and the following huff. She didn't like being reprimanded, especially not by someone her own age. Undaunted by her irritation he continued. If it was one thing he had learnt, it was the importance of getting the hand seals down. Iruka sensei had practically drilled it into them. Back then he hadn't understood the importance, but as he learned more techniques and started to see the subtle differences between some techniques due to the hand seals, he understood.

"If you use Tiger in the Replacement technique your chakra will come out too volatile and it'll destroy any control you have over it," he said and handed Kaero a slice of toast without looking from the paper. He corrected the last paragraph in time to see Kushina primly picking it from him and stuff it in her bag. He sighed and reached for the jam.

"The Dog is reliable and persistent; the Tiger is energetic and volatile. It is understandable that you can't exchange one for the other," he said in way of explanation. He didn't look at her, but loaded his toast with jam before handing the jar over to the annoyed wannabe kunoichi. She eyed him carefully before she found her papers again and frowned. She would have to rewrite the entire assignment, since it had corrections all over it. The teacher wouldn't be happy with such a mess.

"You…. You have destroyed my homework!!" she shrieked and glared at him. Minato, having finished correcting her paper, was rereading his own. The teacher had asked them to research a brand of ninja techniques of their choice, and he had chosen genjutsu. His work on the Demonic Illusions was part of his research. No one was going to accuse him for not being thorough. Hearing her outburst made him focus on her and grimaced.

"No, I didn't. I pointed out where you are wrong, just like the sensei will do, and now you have an opportunity to rewrite it and get a better grade than if you had handed it in as it was."

"It wasn't that bad. I don't need _you_to help me out, I would have seen it myself," she muttered half heartedly. They both knew that wasn't true, she wouldn't have seen it. Or, if she did reread it, she might have, but she wouldn't reread it. That was her problem most of the time. Kaero looked form one to the other, not sure who he should side with. He knew, quite well, that Minato was right most of the time, but Kushina was his cousin who he lived with and would have to endure her tantrum if he pissed her off. Not an experience he valued, so he changed the topic all together.

"Minato are going to get bad teeth," he piped up, and the two older children turned from their staring contest to give him weird looks.

"What makes you say that?" Minato asked nonplussed. That was not the everyday comment from the usually reasonable boy. The red head sagely pointed at the jam on his toast.

"You eat too many sweets. Big brother says the teeth will rot if we eat too much sweet food," he said, with childish honesty and wisdom. Minato raised both eyebrows while Kushina wore the most amused expression.

"Maybe his teeth will fall out, so no one will understand what he says when he acts like a stuck up know it all," she suggested with a gleeful gleam in her eyes. In that moment Minato seriously thought she actually hoped that would happen. Kaero snickered while imagine his second 'big brother' without teeth.

"That's superstition. We have dentists for a reason, you know," he mumbled and went back to is paper. He didn't really want to destroy their fun, but he wasn't in the mood to be the butt of their jokes today. Kushina rolled her eyes at him.

"What crawled up your ass and died?" she asked mollifying, and Minato was once again astonished by her choice of language. She sure didn't talk like any girl he knew, or seven years old for that matter. He guessed she picked it up from Kinuto when he wasn't careful of his wording.

"Nothing. I was trying to help you, you know. You have the end of year test in a few days after all. If you don't pass it, you won't be able to graduate," he reminded her. It had the desired effect on her. She picked up the papers he had corrected and read them over, before she asked for new ones to rewrite it. She knew where she could find it, but every time she had been successfully chastised she would be all polite until she forgot about it.

Minato finished his paper and sipped the rest of his milk and like every morning, filled a glass of milk for Kaero and gave him a long, steady look before he boy drank it. Honestly, that kid was not one who should give others advises on their diets. He was about to clear the table when Kushina spoke up again, having copied down most of the jotted corrections on her assignment.

"Hey, Minato, why is it you are so fixated on the hand seals anyway?" she asked curiously. Minato stopped and blinked. That was new. She didn't usually ask why he corrected her on something, just accepted it.

"They channel the way you concentrate your chakra…. If you mess up you might blow up, it is a simple as that."

Kushina sat in silence while thinking over what he had said, and nodded grudgingly.

"I guess…. But why?"

Minato wondered whether she read her text book or just came to him each time she was confused.

"Some of them don't work together, some of them aren't evenly mixed between spiritual and physical energy, and some of them represent elements that won't work together…. Lots of reasons…. Like, Ram won't work with Ox, and Snake won't work with Boar. Rat is water element and Horse is fire element…. If you are going to make a technique from scratch you need to think of which of them represents what you need for the chakra to do and which of them that'll work together to do that."

He thought for a moment before he came up with a good example.

"One of the genjutsu techniques I know, the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique uses the hand seals Snake and Rat. The Snake is subtle, discreet and manipulative, and is more yang than yin. The Rat is affable, secretive and exploitive, and is more yin than yang. Together, they make for a good genjutsu and balance each other pretty well. What makes the technique weaker than many other genjutsu is the Rat's water element against the Snake's Fire element. It weakens the abilities of the Snake, making it less manipulative than it could have been. On the plus side, the exploitive side of the Rat is stronger, so the caster of the genjutsu doesn't have to come up with an illusion for the victim to see. The jutsu exploits the fears of the victim all on its own."

Kushina and Kaero stared at him while blinking. He sighed. One day they would get it, but not today.

Their walk to the Academy took them through most of Konoha, which was why they had to leave half an hour before it started. Kaero was left with a nice old lady living in the apartment under them. Old Lady Chinatsu, as Kaero affectionately called her when she was out of earshot. The walk took Minato and Kushina past the Yamanaka flower shop, where they'd pick up Inoichi. Usually it wouldn't be a problem, but today seemed to be the day the Gods had deemed to play dirty.

Inoichi had overslept, causing them to run the remaining distance to the Academy. It wouldn't have been so bad if the two first years didn't have a test of their knowledge of the First Great Ninja War, while Minato was late for the taijutsu warm ups and was punished with more rounds around the training ground. He was really not in the mood for that, having slept next to nothing that night and trained for hours. When lunch came around, his energy level was dropping dangerously low, and at that moment, he started a habit he would take with him for years to come. He refilled his depleting energy with sugar.

* * *

Where to begin? I am sorry the chapter is posted later than I said it would be, but I discovered I had abysmal understanding of techniques, hand seals, clans and a lot of other stuff, so I have done some research, in a (most likely futile) attempt to make the mysterious abilities of hand seals and such clearer. I have based my understanding of them on the characteristics of the Chinese zodiac animals, which makes out the twelve hand seals used in the series. I also had a look at Japanese food, and names, swords and other equipment, fighting styles and a little more. As you have discovered from reading this chapter, I am using the English translations of the techniques names. I do that because I like to know what I am writing, and I have to admit I have a better understanding of English than Japanese. I have wondered what the techniques means when reading other fanfictions, and while a translation on the top or bottom of the page is nice and all, I don't feel like scrolling up and down each time I read a name. And if you all wonder, yes Minato will be a sucker for sweets, but I have a reason to make him such. I probably won't reveal the reason until he is in his teens, meaning I am quite a few chapter from that yet. I can imagine some of you asking why I would read up on these things just for a fiction? Well, I don't like to do things half hearted, and I like details. That, and I don't have much to do. Though, on the upside I am allowed to wobble around on crutches now!! Yay!!


	6. Graduation

_Inoichi had overslept, causing them to run the remaining distance to the Academy. It wouldn't have been so bad if the two first years didn't have a test of their knowledge of the First Great Ninja War, while Minato was late for the taijutsu warm ups and was punished with more rounds around the training ground. He was really not in the mood for that, having slept next to nothing that night and trained for hours. When lunch came around, his energy level was dropping dangerously low, and at that moment, he started a habit he would take with him for years to come. He refilled his depleting energy with sugar. _

* * *

5.

Minato lay on his back and watched the birds fly over him. He was at the top of the Academy roof; a place few would go looking for him. He wasn't hiding, no, he was doing a tactical retreat. He called it that anyhow. Inoichi would come right out and say he was hiding, and Kushina would laugh until she cried if she ever knew why he was up here in the first place. He suspected she knew, but she had never confronted him, and Inoichi had never said anything to her as far as Minato knew.

It all started when they started their new year at the Academy. It had been innocently, like all things usually are when you stumble upon them. He had been on his way to the Academy with Kushina, Inoichi and Kaero. Now, that was where his problem had started. Kaero reminded him a lot of a quieter and more docile Konohamaru. He was an adoring younger brother who looked up to him because he was 'awesome'.

While Kushina, Inoichiand he were all rather used to the Academy, it had been Kaero's first week. To get to know each other better, all the students in the class were allowed to invite one relative to their class. Kaero, since Kinuto was on a mission, had decided that while Kushina was cool and all, Minato was the better choice. He was as much a 'big brother' as Kinuto was, only not related by blood.

He had not expected to haveto do anything but follow him there and wait for his classes to start. He had not expected the teacher to give the new students a short and inspiring preach on his virtues as a prodigy in the shinobi arts, and be asked for a demonstration. He had reluctantly agreed, and thought he would get away with some simple technique used by every genin around. Kaero would have none of it, and talked him into showing off the technique he had spent most of his short vacation on learning and mastering. The only reason why he had chosen that technique was from stung pride. He had never been really good at fire techniques in his former life, and he would like to see if he could get better at them this time around. He was supposed to become _Ho_kage, so he liked to believe he should do some fire techniques. The chosen one, Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Techinque was chosen simply because he thought the small fireballs were cooler than one big one.

It was a testimony to his chakra control that he was able to pull it off. While most genin actually had the chakra to do C – ranked techniques, most didn't have the control needed to do it and so they wasted much of their chakra. It was the reason why you either had a decent pool of chakra and good control or large reserves if a genin was able to do them. Minato belonged in the first category.

What he hadn't anticipated, aside of the stunned looks of the parents and teachers present, was the absolute awe he filled the first years with. In the span of a few hand seals and a quick breath, he became their newest hero. From that day onwards, they had followed him wherever he went on the Academy grounds, and begged him to show them more amazing techniques. He hadn't.

The routine quickly became too tiresome to keep up with, so he developed methods to avoid them. He used to sneak up on the roof during the lunch break for a snack and a small nap, and if anyone asked, it was because he liked the view. To and from the Academy he was more or less safe and able to hide behind Kushina and Inoichi, and to some extent Kaero, even if he shielded him halfheartedly. He wanted to see more techniques too, so he would dog him during the day whenever he could as well.

This day was no different, but one of the last he would spend at the Academy. He had already taken his written test and after lunch he would have the practical test. He wondered briefly if the graduation exam would diverse from the one he remembered. Despite the war having lulled to almost nonexistent for the past year the village was still in 'war mode'. When he took his exam in the future (or something like that), it had been peace for several years. If he remembered correctly it had been peace for seven years. Now they had a situation where no one really knew where they stood.

The written test had been much the same; trap making, basic strategy, basic leadership skills in case they got separated from their sensei, history, rules and regulations and some on techniques. He was fairly sure he had aced it.

He rummaged through his pockets for a pocky and was relieved when he found one. It wasn't his favorite flavor, but banana would do in lack of strawberry. Closing his eyes to doze in the sun and eat his sweet, he hadn't expected someone else to intrude upon his solitude. He was actually a little peeved and opened one eye to regard the boy who entered the roof casually.

He was lean and slouched a little, with a pineapple shaped hairdo which immediately told Minato who the person was. He hadn't met Shikaku in this time, since he hardly spent a month in the same class. A nine year old Inoichi was following him as collected as always. He had, to his luck, grown a little more boyish over the years. He still had long blond hair, pale skin and blue eyes and a slim and lithe body, but his face was getting more like that of a boy.

Shikaku stopped in his steps when he saw him, but Inoichi grinned and waved at him.

"Told you he'd be here," the blond boy said enthusiastically. Shikaku made a noise which could be interpreted as an agreement, but he seemed more irritated with the whole situation. Minato stretched and resigned himself to a social call rather than a catnap.

"What are you doing here?" he asked with more irritation than he originally intended. Inoichi raised an eyebrow at the younger boy and a snort escaped him.

"What got you so worked up? We were just going to ask you something, no need to get your panties in a twitch."

Shikaku watched them with lazy eyes and a small glint behind that exterior which told Minato that the Nara had found him curious. Curious to a Nara was a phenomenon they didn't immediately understand, and he knew he would be subtly observed until that curiosity was sated. Shikamaru had had the same glint in his eyes after the fight with Neji, and Minato felt pretty sure Shikaku was every bit as determined at understanding him as Shikamaru had been. Peachy….

"Yeah, sorry about that. I was almost asleep. What is it you wanted?" Minato asked. He didn't mean to sound rude, but they had interrupted his sleep time, and he was grouchy whenever that happened. He still wasn't someone who jumped out of bed with all the energy of an overly exited puppy in the morning. If he could, he would haveliked nothing more than to sleep in, but two years of constantly trying to outdo himself had made him get up every morning at five to train. It worked fine as long as he napped during the day. Inoichi was aware of his habits, so he shrugged the previous offence off and grinned.

"Ask you what the exam's like. Shikaku wanted to plan ahead," he said and smirked at the brown haired boy. Minato looked stonily at him. That was so Nara. Get away with the least amount of work and do it the most efficient way. He quirked his lips.

"Nara?" he asked and Shikaku straightened from his slouched position and nodded.

"Nara Shikaku, it is nice to meet you," he greeted neutrally. How Nara to first make sure if he was someone worth keeping as a close ally and friend, one of the two or just a fellow Leaf ninja before they made any attempts on befriend their object of interest.

"Namikaze Minato," Minato said with a nod. He smiled at the Nara, and laughed a little.

"Don't worry about the test. It is easy if you read the text book. You can pass and get a great grade by doing just that. If you want to best it, you'll have to read some extra material but most of it is found in the Academy library. I'd recommend strategy, trap making and some basics on the role of a leader."

The two boys gave him weird looks, or rather Inoichi did, while Shikaku simply stared at him.

"You know, you are the only person who would bother with something like that," he commented, and Minato tilted his head to the side with a deceptively harmless smile.

"That is why I graduate a year before you, while being a year younger than you," he answered, and Shikaku rolled his eyes to the heavens as of to ask why he had to put up with them. Though, he secretly found their bickering amusing. Minato rummaged through his pockets again, but he didn't have more sweets on him and looked hopefully at Inoichi. Said boy shook his head.

"I don't eat sweets for lunch, Minato. Have you considered having a real lunch for once?"

"I brought a 'real' lunch as you call it, but I still want something to eat. Speaking of which, Kushina pestered me into agreeing for us to meat at the BBQ – shop she likes this evening to celebrate my graduation," he said and rose from his sitting position. It wasn't that much left of his free time and he wouldn't get any sleep with them there. He might as well invite them.

"Are you that sure you'll pass?" Shikaku asked intrigues. Even the best students used to fret over their exam. Inoichi snorted.

"You don't know him, so I'll let that one slip and pretend you never asked something so stupid. He knows every damn thing there is to know, and can pretty much do anything. It is a reason why he is allowed to graduate when he is only eight. He isn't human!"

Minato rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and smiled an equally uncomfortable smile.

"Uh, thanks for the vote of confidence, Inoichi, but I would rather remain human, if you don't mind. I don't plan on joining the Inuzuka kennel anytime soon," he muttered but the two other boys didn't seem to pay him any mind. He let out a defeated sigh.

"You are welcome to come too, if you want to," he told Shikaku and headed back to the stairs. It was time to get this over with and endure the following cooing and fawning.

He snorted when he realized the actual practical test hadn't changed any from this time to the time he knew. It was ridiculous. They could at least have varied it slightly from year to year. Not enough to change the exam itself, just enough to make it more interesting from the students. There were plenty of easy D – ranked jutsu after all, and they could have chosen some of them in addition to the standards. That way the students wouldn't know years in advance what they would be tested in, and they would have something to surprise potential enemies with.

During the shuriken and kunai testing he decided to give the teachers and jonin instructors scouting out their potential students something to gawk at. Having thrown his shuriken rather lazily he clapped his hands together in front of his face and spoke surely; Wind Release: Gale Wind Palms.

The gust of wind ripped the air in front of him and quickly overtook the spinning shurikens, adding to their speed and strength. As they hit their target, they burrowed deeply into the wooden blink and didn't stop until the tips of the throwing stars had reached through the blink. The tearing winds further sliced the wood, gashing the blink and cutting of large chunks. Minato tilted his head with a small smile and waved at where he felt the jonin were hiding. It wasn't nice spying on their future students after all…. There were rustling in the leaves, and some of the trees shook a little, making the chunin teachers who had previously been stunned at his little show smirk and snicker. They were used to the antiques of their colleagues, but it didn't mean they liked having them hanging around their workplace. For the jonin to be 'caught in the act' so to speak was funny, especially when it was an eight year old not yet a genin who caught them. The whispers from the other students, however, he could have done without.

"…that's so cool," a boy with brown hair mumbled awe struck. Minato thought his was names Shou, but wasn't sure. He didn't know the rest of the class that well, and he hadn't cared to get to know them either. Ah, that wasn't really true. He hadn't had the need to, seeing as he would always find his friends from the lower years to be with, and didn't have the time after school. The others seemed to agree. He had gained quite a reputation among the students. He wasn't sure where it had come from, or exactly what it was, but they didn't bother him like they did their first year. Perhaps they finally understood he could kill them if he wanted to, or at least maim them good. It made them actually respect them, and Minato was sure he would never understand human nature if that was why they respected him. It was a subtle difference between this and the respect he got from his friends. They respected him for who he was, these people saw someone or something else in him. It was unnerving.

He didn't spend time worrying about it. He was happy when he later that night had company of Mr. and Mrs. Yamanaka, Inoichi, Kaero, Kushina and Shikaku. Inoichi's father and mother had unexpectedly come with their son, and congratulated Minato wholeheartedly. They had even bought him a new set of kunais as a graduation gift. He wasn't sure what to say, but stuttered his thanks and for once he acted like a child should, much to his chagrin. The parents had chuckled and ruffled his hair. Kushina, Kinuto and Kaero had bought him a basic medical set. All active ninja were required to carry one in their pouch, so it was a practical gift. Shikaku gave him what pleased him the most; sweets.

The team placement took place four days later. Minato hadn't thought about it, but now he would have to team up with people he didn't know, while he still thought of his previous team as 'his'. It wasn't possible, he knew, but he still felt a sad at the thought of losing that little bit of himself. He wasn't sure if he could say he was himself anymore. He wasn't who he had been, and probably not who he should be, but he was someone, that much was clear. He did have a personality, he did have his thoughts and he did have a goal even if who he was, was getting blurred.

The classroom was filled with chattering new students who all kept talking to calm their nerves. Minato choose his seat at the back of the room, where less people would notice him and badger him for his stunt at the exam. He had heard people talk about him when he walked past them. That in itself wasn't strange to him, he had been the most whispered about person in Konoha after all, but what they said was new. They were praising him and looked at him with pride and amazement, as if he was somehow theirs. Too bad he didn't feel like indulging them and satisfy their curiosity.

"Escaping?" the flat yet soft voice asked from beside him and he stiffened momentarily before nodding shortly. He didn't turn to see who spoke to him, since any movement could draw attention to them.

"Tactical retreat," he answered, and he could havesworn he felt amusement from the person beside him even if he didn't give any outwards token of that. He glanced to his side and saw a large jacket, and immediately raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been aware of any Aburame in his class, but then again, they didn't make much of themselves. Always trying to remain invisible and unnoticed. The perfect spies.

"Aburame Shibi. I was wondering how you knew of the jonin watching us at the exam?"

So the Aburame did want information after all, and when realizing he wouldn't get anything from just observing, went directly to the source. Minato smirked lightly.

"I felt their chakra…. I have always been highly sensitive to it, and they weren't trying too hard to hide. To me they were like beacons."

Always being since he returned here and had to explain his knowledge of chakra.

"I see."

They didn't say more. Not that they had time, and Minato had never been able to have long conversations with any Aburame. They weren't sociable enough. He was sure they communicated with their bugs, so maybe they were kept occupied through them. Gaara had 'talked' to the Ichibi, and even if it was a difference there, he had kept a part of his mind constantly on the demon. The Aburame might do something similar with their bugs. It was worth looking into, when he got to know one of them well enough to ask.

The teacher, a fat guy Minato first thought belonged to the Akimichi clan but then was told just was fat, appeared behind the desk and started the annual graduation speech. Minato mentally made a note to tell Kushina about this so she could prepare and bring something to elude boredom. She was a lot like he had been when he was young, constantly full of energy and not liking to listen to 'useless' talk.

When he started on the teams, the usual outbursts of approval of dissatisfaction roamed the room between the announcements. The Aburame was teamed up with an Uchiha girl, Mikoto, and a civilian born boy. Minato couldn't remember him from the future, so odds were he had died during the war. Then again, there were lots of ninja in Konoha. It was like Kakashi once had told them. There were one Kage in each of the major villages, hundreds of chunin, fewer jonin but still many and thousands of genin. Okay, maybe not thousands, but there were certainly more of them than any others. As one person he couldn't possible know everyone personally.

The girl reminded him of Sasuke, but he was reminded of him each time he saw any of the Uchiha clan, so he didn't find it strange at all. What he was curious about was their interaction. The Aburama had nodded once to each of his teammates, then remind still and silent as usual. Mikotohad smiled and given him a wave, before turning and doing the same to the other boy. That boy, however, looked absolutely gob smacked at the Aburame. Minato knew what he was thinking._ 'When did he join our class?!'_

He was worried however, when his name wasn't mentioned. That should have told him something was happening, but thought nothing of it when the teacher motioned for him to remain in the classroom. The rest of the class was released for lunch, and so Minato found himself alone with the teacher. The man looked mildly unsure of what to say, and started several times to say something before breaking off and swearing under his breath. In the end he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm not sure how to out this, Minato. You are currently the youngest person to ever graduate from the Academy, since it was built. You are also probably one of the best students we've had. That has caused some….concern among the ranks. Seeing as you are so young, Hokage – sama decided to place you with a tutor of your own and not on a team after consoling his advisors. You'll be picked up with the others, and you'll have the normal genin duties, just not with a team."

Minato frowned. Typical. Those doodling old coots. Couldn't they have left him alone and how much of this was out of any real concern for him and how much was politics? He wasn't stupid. He knew he had attracted attention from numerous people. Some were no concern of his, while others….. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Orochimaru decided he'd be nice to use as an experiment a few years down the road or if, God forbid, Danzou should try to recruit him. Well, all he could do was sit back and wait for the pervert to pick him up. He'd know in good time what games were in play here.

The genin filed in and Minato noticed that many of them were grouping themselves in their teams. Not for the first time he wondered whether or not the whole lunch - after - announcing – the - teams thing was intentional to let the genin get used to their teams. It had some merit to it. Slowly, the room also filled with jonin instructors, and Minato entertained himself by studying him.

Just behind the teacher's desk, by the blackboard, stood a woman with a strange hair color between red and orange. She had a blue outfit on, reminding him of the outfit he remembered Ino used. By her side stood a man from the Hyuga clan; his white eyes denoted his heritage. He had similar lose outfit as all Hyuga Minato had seen, and he had to wonder if they were exhibitionists at heart. Their lose shirts always seemed to show off more than necessary. In a corner stood an Uchiha. His eyes were closed, and he wore a standard jonin outfit, with a west and all, but with the Uchiha fan on his left shoulder and a butterfly, of all things, on his right. He had his hair in a high ponytail, which was as long as any Yamanakas.

Beside him stood another man, this one with a large grey cloak and a stern expression on his face and a woman with a long staff. Minato had no idea what the staff was for, but the laughter dancing in her eyes as she looked at some of the genin told him he might not want to know. She reminded him a little of how Mitarashi Anko could smile when she sensed a new…. Subject of interest. Eventually Shibi's team left with her, and one by one the instructors indicated or told their teams to follow them. In the end, it was just him and the Uchiha left. With nothing else to do, he kept his eyes on the man and wondered when his teacher was supposed to get there. Having dealt with one tardy prone sensei was enough, and if Jiraiya proved to do the same in this time he was going to seriously hurt him…. even if it was more likely that the man was peeping at the hotsprings.

"Aren't you a silent one," the man said at long last. Minato eyed him for a moment and tilted his head to the side.

"Who are you?" he asked and the man grinned bemusedly.

"Uchiha Yashino. Your new sensei."

Minato stared at him with large eyes. Oh _fuck _no, this wasn't happening. Where the hell was Jiraiya and what the hell was going on? And why, why, was he constantly stuck with the thrice damned clan?! Was it some sort of divine punishment? Had he done something to piss off the higher powers? If so he was regretting whatever offence he had committed.

* * *

Hehehe, poor guy.... Don't worry, he'll meet up with Jiraiya in time. Ithought he would have graduated earlier this time than when the original Minato went to the Academy, simply because originally he didn't have any previous ninja training, or that is the impression I have gotten. If he didn't have any clan or family to train him, he would have had to learn what the Academy thought at the same tempo as everyone else. If he was as good as everyone makes him out to be, he could of course have asked for more to do, but from my own experience with how the schools work, if you are a 'genius' you only get more information on something you already have a basic understanding of, and more work on that; you aren't allowed to skip too far ahead of the rest of the class. when that happens or if that happens, they'll try to push you up a class....


	7. Playing the Pawn

_Minato stared at him with large eyes. Oh fuck no, this wasn't happening. Where the hell was Jiraiya and what the hell was going on? And why, why, was he constantly stuck with the thrice damned clan?! Was it some sort of divine punishment? Had he done something to piss off the higher powers? If so he was regretting whatever offence he had committed_.

* * *

6.

He stared at the Uchiha and absently noted a few details he had missed earlier. The man was young, probably his early twenties, like most ninja taking on a genin team, or in this case, a student. He had the telltale onyx eyes and dark brown hair of his clan, and a barely visible scar at his left cheek. It looked as if someone had pressed the tip of a kunai into his cheek and made an almost diamond shaped wound. He was leaning against the wall with a detached air to him, staring back with one eyebrow raised and waiting for a reaction from the blond boy.

"I thought all Uchiha are police officers?" Minato blurted out, conveniently forgetting the chunin who had carried him when they arrived in Konoha. The man, Yashino he said his name was, scoffed.

"That's what people like to believe. Konoha doesn't need a police force that huge, so the rest of us hold ranks within the ordinary force," he explained and pushed himself from the wall.

"I need a smoke, so…. Mind if we take this outside? The teachers get twitchy when someone tries to smoke in here. Claims we are a bad influence. Personally I don't see what the problem is. We are training little children to become killers, and they still worry about having a bad influence on you."

He beckoned Minato to follow, and he did, slightly taken back by the attitude. He wasn't sure what to make of the unknown Uchiha, but he didn't seem bad. He seemed more or less laid back.

"Hm, you really are a quiet one. I would have thought you wanted to know more than what my clan do?" he asked and Minato saw him glance at him. As soon as they were out of the doors, the Uchiha pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one. He let out a sigh when he took a drag and looked up to the sky. Minato thought he looked somewhat at peace like that.

"That's not healthy," he commented, gaining laugh from the man.

"Sure it isn't, brat, but I don't think I'll live long enough for it to be an issue. Besides, almost every accomplished ninja has some sort of habit. Seeing some of the more eccentric ones I prefer my nicotine any day."

Minato figure he had a point. He knew very well some of the more extreme quirks ninja could develop. He was silently relieved there was no Gai in this time, or he was sure to be the chosen 'genius' to challenge. Smoking wasn't really that bad. It didn't annoy the hell out of everyone around, at least unless it was someone with extreme aversion to tobacco. It didn't cause people to look weirdly at him, he didn't get pummeled by angry females for peeping and he didn't fall into a drunken sleep at work. All in all, it was pretty harmless to anyone but the user…

"I like sweets", he admitted freely and sat down at a bench beside the street they were walking down. He thought about it for a moment and regarded his new sensei. The man seemed to be regarding him in turn.

"'Like' or 'addicted to sugar'?" Yashino asked thoughtfully. Minato widened his eyes for a moment, but it was enough for the seasoned jonin to see. He snorted.

"Surprised? You have awoken the interest of a lot of people. You're a genius of the ninja arts and in a village like ours that counts for something. You've been kept an eye on since you were only a few months into your Academy carrier. Your file says you sleep about five hours each night, goes training for an absurd amount of hours every day and compensates by taking small naps during the day and eat an equally absurd amount of sweets."

Minato frowned before he nodded. As much as he disliked it, it made sense that they had observed him.

"That is why they have given me an Uchiha sensei," he mumbled to himself, but the man heard him and nodded.

"Yes. By 'they' I take it you know who assigned the teams. The Uchiha clan has a history of producing young but excellent ninja, so they figured we could train someone without the sharingan equally well, considering your aptitude for the ninja arts."

Minato hummed at that information and while he wasn't pleased by constantly getting involved in a clan he rather have nothing to do with, it was a coincident. Something else struck him though, something more irritating. Without knowing it, he had already become a piece in the political game inside the village.

"What do they want with me?" he asked with narrowed eyes. He couldn't believe they did this without expecting some sort of result from it. He doubted the Advisors and the Hokage wanted him to have tight bonds with the one clan they never fully trusted in the village, so what was their game? What did they want to achieve by assigning him one of them as a sensei? The Uchiha's smiled widened.

"My, you truly are a sharp kid. Most wouldn't have seen the politics in this, but for now it is just like I said. You have potential to be one of the greatest ninja from Konoha of all time, but the only ones with experience of training children as young as you, is my clan. By handing you over to me they are ensuring your training and making a show of trusting us."

Minato leaned back and pulled a stick of pocky from his pocket at the same time as Yashino lit another cigarette. They remained silent for a while, enjoying their respective addictions, before Minato raised another question.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Eh, according to the profile I was given you are too smart for your own good. If I didn't come out and tell you, you wouldn't trust me until I did. Eventually you would have found out on your own, and mistrusted me even more. That is hardly productive when I am supposed to teach you."

"….I understand, but aren't your clan involved in this as much as the other higher ups? And why the Uchiha clan? It might as well have been the Hyuga clan?"

Yashino blew out a cloud of smoke and watched it disappear into the air with a far off expression.

"Probably, to the first of your questions at least. Personally I couldn't care less. It is for the clan Elders and the Head of the clan to plot political games. As for why the Uchiha clan, well, like I said, we know how to handle cases like yours, and while the Hyugas often produce prodigal ninja too, they are all centered on their own special way of fighting. Without the byakugan shitload of help that would be."

Minato had a feeling there was something the man wasn't saying, but he didn't press it. So far the man had been open and answered honestly enough and he didn't want to get on his bad side. Though, he could tell his new sensei had decent respect for the Hyuga clan. He had always imagined the two clans of arrogant jerks to get along like two packs of rivaling wolves would, but that didn't seem to be the case. Perhaps it was because both held a bloodline limit affecting their eyes and that caused some mutual respect.

"So…. What are we going to do now?" Minato asked and looked at this Yashino sensei and wondered just how he was supposed to be tested to pass the actual exam. The man smirked. It was a smirk he had seen when Kakashi had tested them as well.

"Heh, how proficient are you with Fire Techniques?" Yashino asked and flicked the rest of his cigarette somewhere out of sight. Minato wasn't sure of he should berate him for it or just ignore it. He had a feeling this guy was like the other Uchiha he had known in that he could be irritating without even trying.

"I know a couple," he answered and got up from the bench. The Uchiha's smile widened into a grin.

"Great. We'll head over to one of the training grounds around the compound and you'll show me the ones you know. If you pass my standards I'll take you on as my student. If not, you'll have to spend another year in the Academy."

Minato vaguely remembered having heard that every jonin taking on a team had their own way of testing their potential students. It made sense that the Uchiha's test would be to do a decent Fire Technique. From what he had heard from Sasuke, to master a C – rank or higher Fire Technique was a rite of passage within the clan. Upon mastering it, they were no longer be considered children but full members of the clan and ninja in their own right even if they hadn't yet passed the Academy. It irked him slightly that he had to be measured to the standards of a clan who where all predisposed to Fire, when the test happened to be to do a Fire Technique. It wasn't exactly fair, but then again, little in the life of a ninja was.

Yashino led him to a secluded training area outside of the Uchiha compound. There was a small lake, and Minato concluded that was why they were there. Fire tended to burn things, unless those things were wet, and could cause major destruction if it got out of hand. The man stopped at the shore and stood a moment and just tilted his head to the side before frowning at the opposite bank. Minato could tell why he was frowning. There were several chakra signatures there, partly masked, but still enough for him to sense. It appeared as if the clan was more interested than he had thought. He shrugged and smirked with a small gleam of mischief in his eyes.

He made the correct set of seals and breathed out, putting as much chakra as needed in the technique to make it large enough to be impressive. The stream of hot chakra erupted into a large fireball, heading for the shore where he felt the chakra. Yashino had a large grin on his face, his eyes filled with mirth as the fireball flew harmlessly over the water and came dangerously close to the shore before it was gone.

"Good, really good," he muttered and Minato felt his eyes on him again, this time in contemplation.

"You said you knew a couple. What is the other one?" Yashino asked and eyed him as if he was an especially interesting specie he hadn't seen before. Minato could see him study him with those dark eyes and felt as if it was all the man could do not to stalk around him in circles like a predator to watch him from every direction. Like an overly zealous cat. The mental image made him smile. Not wanting the man to know what he thought of him, he instead made the hand seals and blew out several smaller fireballs over the water.

"Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Technique," Yashino mumbled with satisfaction and glittering eyes.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant," he continued, staring at the blond with unnerving unblinking eyes. Minato stared back, face blank and a sent silent plea to the Gods for his sensei not to be mentally retarded. He felt he had dealt with enough disturbed people during his past lifetime and didn't feel like trying to set another one on the straight and narrow. This one had seemed so _normal _too!

"Uh…. I don't know how to hide shurikens in them yet," he said, and tried to force himself to appear calm and collected. The Uchiha smiled, this time wide and unguarded.

"Great, that will be some of the first we'll work on then. Do you prefer shuriken over kunai? Close, mid ranged or long distant battle?" Yashino asked and fell back on the ground and let out another content sigh. Minato sat down beside him and had to admit it felt pretty good just sitting there and watch the sun reflect on the water.

"I don't have preference for either of them, but I tend to avoid close combat. I am too small to do any real damage with taijutsu if my opponent is grown up or at least a few years over the normal graduation age, so I have to make it count if I get up close and personal. That's why I usually work with genjutsu and if that won't work, shuriken and mid to long range ninjutsu."

"Yeah, I was told about the stunt you pulled at the exam…. Something like that could probably kill if you hit the right spot, or maim an opponent seriously. Do you know what your elemental affinity is yet?"

Minato looked at him from the corner of his eyes. Was he really going to explain that sort of thing to him this early? He started to wonder if the man already had something in mind with all the questions he asked.

"No, we aren't tested for that at the Academy; then again, I am not even supposed to know what that is."

The Uchiha chuckled and folded his arms behind his head to get a more comfortable position.

"You aren't, but it isn't stopping you from knowing about it, is it? I have a theory, you see, but I don't know if it is right. They say our affinity is something we are born with, but I think if we start early enough you can develop a secondary affinity almost as strong as your primary affinity. Many in my clan have fire as a secondary affinity and not a primary affinity, but it is there. We start training with fire techniques really early, considering it is our rite of passage. I am thinking you might have done the same, by training with elemental techniques as young as you are."

He was silent for a moment, before he turned slightly to look at his new student.

"That is, if fire wasn't your affinity to begin with…. Lots of people in Konoha have that as their primary affinity. Not surprising I guess, since we live in Fire Country."

Minato hummed and leaned back on his hands looking up at the blue sky. He wondered if his affinity was still wind. He had become rather fond of the unpredictable element. It was even more so than fire, as unstable as fire could be, wind was always shifting, always changing from the mild breeze to the fierce storms and everything in between.

"I am not from Fire Country. I was born in Whirlpool. Isn't that in my file as well?"

The Uchiha blinked before he smirked.

"I forgot it was. I never met many of the Wirlpool ninja. I heard they were more into trade than the traditional ninja arts. Most of them were said to be damn good guards of caravans and ships. I heard rumors claiming that was part of why the Water Country wanted them out of the way. It has never been verified but it is said that some the Water country supplies or even leads some of the pirates along their coast."

Minato let his eyes drop from the sky to Yashino and gave him a thoughtful look.

"I never knew that. My mother never told me much about what went on around us. I think she tried to protect me in her own way, and I never knew my father."

There, that should help him explain any and all ignorance of his origin.

"Eh, I never did either. My sister is a few years older than me, though, so she has a few memories of our father."

Minato heard the fondness in his voice and smiled a small smile of his own.

"Yeah, I have the Uzumaki cousins. I consider them my family now, like a very annoying sister, an adoring younger brother and a bit of a reclusive older brother," he said and chuckled as he imagined the affronted looks he'd get if they ever heard him describe them like that. Yashino glanced over at him and nodded with a smirk.

"I am going to be an uncle in half a year or so. In fact, my sister said she is going to make me his or her godfather."

Minato raised an eyebrow at that tidbit of information. The man was really trying to get to know him, and in turn he opened up for him to see some of who and what he was. An even trade Minato thought intrigued. It certainly was more than Kakashi had given out. He had preferred for them to get to know him by themselves. Perhaps because he felt his past was better left buried and forgotten. Minato wasn't sure, but if he could, he'd see what he could do about it. Gai sure had droned on and on about his departed and dearly missed eternal rival when he got in the mood. If Minato was lucky he could make it so the latter never discovered the 'youthfulness' of green spandex. A brief glimpse of a man in orange spandex in his minds eye made him shudder. While the color was better.... well, spandex was out, period.

The word godfather reminded him of Jiraiya. He hadn't actually known that before he had read the large book with all of Jiraiya's collected observations. He had learnt a lot of how the nature worked from that, and gained some useful or just personally satisfying information. He found it weird his father wasn't mentioned to be his father in the text, but he guessed Jiriaya had meant for him to read the book and didn't want to give away too much information. He tended to be like that. Just give enough information to make you think and then wait for you to come to your own conclusions. Kuuybi had revealed the grand secret before he had time to consider it, and just because the demon never tried to sugarcoat anything he trusted it to be true.

"So what will you teach me?" he asked ant directed his attention to his sensei. The Uchiha was still relaxing in the grass, but Minato wasn't fooled. If anything or anyone was to come unexpected on them, the jonin would be up and ready in less than a second.

"I've been thinking. We'll definitely work on your taijutsu and endurance. Even if it will be useless in battle for a few years to come, you'll be able to use it against people your own age and a little older, and bandits. The sort of scum most likely to appear on missions we'll take when the time is right. Other than that, I have an idea. What do you know about chakra manipulation beside the elemental manipulation?"

Minato wondered if Yashino had an idea which would lead him to start training to form the Rasengan, but shrugged in response.

"I know it is possible to do shape manipulation, but I don't know how."

"Hmmm…. Have you heard of the Sand's Puppeteer Corps? It is a group of ninja from Suna who uses puppets to fight. They control those puppets with strings made of chakra."

Minato couldn't see what that had to do with anything, but didn't comment. He waited for his sensei to explain what he was thinking, and was a bit worried when he saw the grin forming.

"Every day from now on, when we have finished the physical training, we'll work on your chakra manipulation until you can form perfect chakra strings."

"Uh, sensei, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but I don't want to be a puppeteer," he said carefully. Uchiha Yashino smirked with a pleased look to him.

"I don't want you to be one either. You see, it'll be a shame to let your chakra control go to waste, and good chakra control is something which can't be copied. I want you to surpass the Uchiha clan, and to do that you'll need a technique we can't copy. Yes, we'll see how it is done, but our ability to use the information will be restricted by our own chakra control."

To say Minato was shocked was an understatement. He was utterly speechless and left with nothing but confusion. Yashino stretched on the ground and watched him with a neutral expression.

"I don't want to train a great ninja. I want to train an exceptional ninja. I want you to surpass me, to surpass the clan I am bound by and become a legacy overshadowing even the Uchiha clan. If you can't do it you'll forever be marked as the genius trained by the Uchiha clan, but if you can rise above us, above any label the word bestowed upon you, you'll shine in your own right."

The man laughed lightly.

"I'll admit it is selfish reasons, but all the same it is _my _reason. What is your reason, Minato, to want to walk this path in life? To want to willingly soak your hands in blood, sell your soul for your village and kill your heart for your sanity?"

Minato was honestly taken back by the abrupt frankness. None of his previous teachers had ever given him a speech like that. True, Kakashi had warned them of the consequences and where the heroes ended up, but he still hadn't tried to truly explain. He hadn't told them right out to what they would have to do to survive as a ninja. That was something they had discovered on their own.

"…. I saw my friends killed, my family killed, my world ended in red. I hate that color; I despise it, but… I am bound by it. I swore I would live, I would thrive and I wouldn't let their lives be in vain. I will fight to my dying breath for my new home, so that too won't be red and gone."

Yashino looked him in the eyes, and a glimmer of respect flickered in those dark eyes. Minato might be a child, but he didn't have the mind of a child, and his new sensei understood that. He would teach this strange boy to be a true ninja of Konoha, to stand tall when the world wanted to drag him down and to live with the unyielding will and power ninja of Fire Country were raised to be a part of. Minato knew, in that moment, that he would forever be entangled with the Uchiha clan. His new sensei wasn't about to let him go; he was going to surpass the clan with the feared bloodline limit and shine on his own. He didn't want to be shadowed by anyone or anything, be it a clan or a teacher.

"That is a nice goal. To live for those who have passed. You have seen death already, and come to terms with that. It makes things easier for us. We'll train for the next months, and then we'll start doing missions. I want you to have firm grip on the chakra manipulations I am thinking of before we take any higher ranking missions."

Minato was fully aware what kind of missions they would be doing to begin with. He had not missed those, but on the upside the dreaded Tora the cat couldn't be born yet and the fire daimyo's wife had to be young at this time. She had been in her fifties when he was a genin last time, so…. About twenty now?

"Right, and remember Minato, I won't go easy on you. Your actions will reflect on the Uchiha clan since I am your sensei, and as much as it irritates me at times, I won't let anyone shame my clan."

Minato looked severely at him and nodded once.

"…and I won't shame the village," he said truthfully. He looked up at the blue sky, and wondered if this was how every prodigy was treated, as a pawn to the opposing powers of Konoha. A tool and a weapon, not only in battle but in games played behind closed doors and shrouded in darkness.

* * *

You have to love political games and backstabbing. If nothing else, elections are great for entertainement. I intend to use that, considering the different political fractions in Konoha. So far I have found at least three; the Hokage, the Uchiha clan with the Police Force and Danzou with his ROOT movement. Who knows how that man is shrewed together. Personally I think he suffers from a case of paranoia, but that could be only me. As for the Advicors.... Well, I am not one of those who think they are the evil incarnate. I think they act in what they honestly thinks is the best interest of the village, but they aren't above using some.... creative tactics to get it their way. That means it is impossible to say who's side they are truly on, since all three fractions will act to govern Konoha in what they preserve as the best way. Yes, even the Uchiha clan. They wanted to rule Konoha, there was nothing about destroying it. They thought they had the right, and as history has proved, everyone in a conflict believe they have the right on their side. Misdirected, misled, plain old stupidity, religious conviction, whatever it is each side believe they have the right. As for a Council I am not sure Konoha has one. From what I am able to understand, the village was founded by the Senju and the Uchiha clan to stop the bloodshed between the two clans, and others joined in later, or was asked to join, whatever fancy you the most. From that I believe they acknowledge the elected Hokage as their supreme leader, and his word is more or less law, but I believe the Hokage would have to listen to what the clan's have to say, considering they make up most of his fighting forces. If many enough got to getter and agreed on one specific course of action, he would have to bend to their will to keep the peace and the village intact. That way, the clan's keep their inner structur led by one head and their council of elders, but have no power over the Hokage unless they all agree on something. It would explain why Konoha accepted to hand over the body of 'Hiashi' after the abducting incident. I can't see every clan in Konoha wanting a war where they'd lose lots of members if it could be solved with minimal cost of life. The Hyuga clan was therefor in no position to press the Hokage to retaliate, and he wanted peace since that was the better for the whole of Konoha. There, a run down on how I see the cloak and dagger politics of Konoha. Well, there are probably flaws in the theory, but I'll make do....


	8. Butterfly's Story 1

This was a hard chapter to write. I've been writing it and rewriting it so many times I lost caunt. It's taken time too, because my father turned fifty last saturday. Large party and everything. Lots of annoying family memebers milling around and some of my cousins braught their children. I swear I am not good with children. I get all bothered when I don't understand what they are saying, and baby language is hopeless no matter what language they are trying to speak. It doesnt help that my family is rather international and only in my closest family we speak four different native languages. English is not one of them, though.... I got confused after the second day they were here and tried to sneak away, but it is only so far you can go on crutches. Especially when eveyrone thinks I need to be mothered because of it. Oh well, i had some fun writing this chapter anyway. I feel honestly sorry for any boy labeled 'pretty boy', having gaind that title myself when I was younger. Both of my brothers got it too, so i suppose it is a family thing, but my youngest brother got the worst of it. He's blond and blue eyed, after our mother, while the rest of us takes after our darker father. My mother refused to cut his hair before he was twelve years old, so he had waist long, thin blond hair. Very girly, and had to play angel every year before Christmas=P. Everytime I picture Inoichi as a boy, I picture my youngest brother with thicker hair. God, he's so much fun to tease too....

* * *

"…_and I won't shame the village," he said truthfully. He looked up at the blue sky, and wondered if this was how every prodigy was treated, as a pawn to the opposing powers of Konoha. A tool and a weapon, not only in battle but in games played behind closed doors and shrouded in darkness._

_

* * *

_7.

Minato watched with interest as the sister of his heart, and mother in another life, pummeled Inoichi in a spar. The man was great with his clan's techniques, his observations skills were practically unsurpassed by anyone Minato had met bar the ever stoic Uchiha Itachi, and he had the workings of a true interrogator and information gatherer, but a taijutsu expert he was not. Kushina, on the other hand, was mostly oblivious, much like he had been before he was forced to gather information or die trying, but she had a mean right hook…. And a bone breaking kick. He tilted his head to the side as Inoichi stumbled up and waved his hands in surrender. Kushina grinned widely in victory and whirled around to face Minato, who was sitting in the shade and eating strawberry flavored pocky.

"See that?! I smashed the pretty boy!!" she exclaimed exuberantly and Minato smirked as he saw Inoichi's fingers twitch. If she wasn't careful, she'd find her body doing very embarrassing things soon. Instead of answering, he tilted his head and suppressed another smirk as thunderclouds gathered over her head.

"Aren't you like going to say something?" she demanded, and Inoichi shook his head in exasperation. Minato enjoyed baiting her, but she didn't seem to understand that.

"You still have a bad balance," Minato said when he had finished chewing. Inoichi couldn't help the small snicker escaping him when Kushina gawked at Minato as if he had just revealed the most well protected secret in all of the elemental countries. Minato had, of course, told her that before, and promised to keep her 'weakness' a secret, but seeing as she didn't do anything to correct it, he decided it was time to reveal it.

"You said you'd keep it a secret!" Kushina accused angrily and Minato gazed at her with blank eyes.

"I said I would keep it a secret if you tried to correct it. You haven't so I am telling. If Inoichi was an enemy and a little more experienced, he could have exploited it and won, even with the same skills as Inoichi currently has."

He took another bite and watched as the red headed girl and the blond 'pretty boy' thought about it. Inoichi let out a sigh.

"Yeah, well, I am terrible at this. Do you know what I can do to improve my taijutsu?"

Minato was about to say no, but kept his tongue. Had the Inoichi he knew been better at taijutsu than this boy was? Certainly, but he had decades of experience to fall back on. Though, to live that long he would have had to survive his genin days. He rubbed the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"You know Inoichi, perhaps you should try to be more…. Underhanded. Brute force and direct attacks don't seem to be your thing. You aren't as strong as most others our age, but you are fast, so you could use that to your advantage. You'll just have to learn to execute the forms faster."

To advice someone on these things was something he would never get used to. On techniques and forms and knowledge it was fine, but to advice someone on how to make it work for them was new and just because he knew the stuff didn't mean he could say; do this and that and it'll work out wonderfully. Inoichi, on the other hand, seemed to find this reasonable and nodded in agreement. Kushina grumbled something about boys scheming together, but Minato gave her a long, hard stare.

"I've already told you how to fix your balance, and you still won't do it, so don't be so snarky. If you don't want him to win your next spar, you could just do what I told you."

"Everyone can't act like cats, like you do. Have you ever not landed perfectly?" Kushina said and rolled her eyes at him. Minato shook his head dismissively.

"Of course. It isn't as if I miraculously woke up with the balance of a shinobi," he answered grudgingly. He didn't like to be reminded of his current training regime, since it was tough. Tough meaning he hardly had time to do anything else. Yashino sensei had said he wouldn't go easy on him, and he had meant it. It had taken him two whole months to produce chakra strings the Uchiha accepted as passing, and they were so thin they were damn near invisible. Up to that point Minato hadn't known why he was learning how to do this, other than that it could be useful in some situations and honed his chakra control, but Yashino did have a plan. A rather sinister one.

Chakra extending from a ninja's body was like an extension of their senses. A ninja in control of his or her chakra would always sense where that chakra was if it was in some way connected to them. They couldn't listen to or see what was going on around the pure chakra extending from and connected their body, but they knew _where_it was, and that was why Yashino wanted his student to know the trick.

It was a common trick to use wires attached to shurikens to manipulate them, but only the Uchiha with their sharingan could truly use that to its full extend, since only the sharingan could keep up with the speed of the thrown weapons. Minato had attached his chakra strings to the shurikens, and no matter how fast they spun, he always knew where they were and could manipulate their directions in the air. The chakra strings attached to them worked mostly like wire would, possibly capture an opponent if that was the objective. Minato had had the great privilege of testing it out on a 'victim'.

The Fire daimyo's wife wasn't his wife yet, simply his fiancée, which was where the problem of Tora the cat began. The man had no idea what he started when he bound the ring to a small kitten with a red ribbon and handed it to his chosen bride. It wasn't the same cat, thank god, or Minato would have killed the unnatural creature, but it had to be a relative. It acted in the exact same way, and so the legend of the undying demon cat and bane of all Konoha genin was born.

While that had little to do with Yashino's idea, elemental manipulation had everything to do with it. He wanted, and that was where Minato was at this point, Minato to change the 'normal' chakra in the chakra strings with elemental chakra. Any enemy caught in a trap like that would most likely suffer some extensive damage. The ordinary chakra strings couldn't do much but steer the shurikens and capture and enemy, but elemental chakra strings was something else entirely, and the extensive training had begun. Minato had hardly been doing anything but eat, sleep a few hours and go through the whole wind element training again for what felt like months now (it actually was, but he didn't like to admit that), and yesterday he had finally gotten a break trough. He had cut the waterfall.

He had found himself relieved when the chakra paper had split in two before it burned. It had proven Yashino's theory to some extent, but to Minato it was more important to know he had the same affinity as before. It made him wonder if it had been his father's affinity too, or if it was something he had changed when he arrived in this body. It had taken him longer, naturally, to master the affinity this time around, even if he knew what to do, but it was to be expected. He couldn't produce hundreds, or at least tens of Shadow Clones to help him out. Not that he needed to figure out how to do it, he just needed his body to act along his thoughts. Of course, Yashino and everyone else were impressed with how little time he used to figure it out. He was frustrated with how long it took. Yashino had laughed it off as the impatience all children have when they are trying to accomplish something.

His success with the wind manipulation was his reason for watching Inoichi and Kushina spar. Yashino had given him few days off. According to him it was to relax. Personally, Minato thought it had more to do with his sister, Akane, staying at the hospital awaiting the labor. He didn't say that, however, and was happy with a few days to do with as he pleased. He wanted to learn a new technique, and as _fun _as it had been to constantly work on his chakra manipulation, in one form or another, he still preferred to learn techniques. Yashino had told him about one and given him the hand seals needed, in case Minato got bored and wanted something to do. It was another C – ranked genjutsu he remembered falling for once, the Sly Mind Affect Technique. It caused the victim to wander around, believing he, she or they were heading for their intended destination while in reality walking around in circles. He was tempted to try it out on his unsuspecting friends, but he needed to try it out a few times more before attempting it on another human.

Yashino was a strange person, Minato mused. His sensei could be smiling and lazing about one minute, and the next was all work and no nonsense. He could smoke and watch the sky with a far off expression, and then turn around and ask him to attack him with everything he got. Minato had a feeling the frequent times he was spacing out was the real reason the jonin was taking on a student instead of taking higher ranking missions. He never asked what Yashino saw in the blue sky, or why he always turned to watch it when he went off to wherever his mind was, and in turn Yashino never asked him why wanted to train every hour of the day.

They always had lunch with Yashino's sister, who scolded him for pushing a young child too much and too far too early. When she had done that and was satisfied with his properly chastised expression, she would tell Minato he had to eat, and he had to tell his sensei off when he got tired. Her brother had no sense whatsoever and tended to be absolutely reckless, in her mind, and she would not be happy with them if Minato needed to be hospitalized after training with her brother. She was a very…. Consuming woman, but Yashino didn't seem to mind. He smiled and agreed with her, and only spoke against her tirades when she started to repeat herself.

Minato liked them, they were nice people, and not at all as he imagined they would be. They were normal, actually. Well, as normal as ninja could be, and treated him like an extension of their family. He knew their neighbors and had had dinner with their elderly mother. He was told their parents had been quite old when they decided to have children, and their father had died during some skirmish when Yashino was a few months old. The mother, she was old enough to remember the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage, and even Madara, and told the most interesting stories from the First Great Ninja War. She had fought in that, and had been a child during the founding of Konoha. Minato learnt a lot he hadn't previously known about both the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan. He was pretty sure they both had plenty of skeletons in their closets, but refused to take sides.

According to her, Madara had had a brother who he killed for reasons the clan kept a secret, but that was what led him to eventually fight Senju Hashirama in the Valley of the End. The clan spoke against his ways and forsworn his dreams of grandeur. Their reasons to ally with the Senju clan had been to stop the bloodshed, not to find reasons for more, but the Senju and to some extent to other clans were hard pressed to believe that, and the tension between them had started. Minato couldn't see what the problem was, until he remembered that the third Hokage had been the star pupil of both the Shodaime and the Nidaime. Both his mentors had distrusted the Uchiha clan, so it was natural for him and his Advisors to be wary around them as well. The Uchiha on the other hand, had just let the problem stay the way it was and didn't try to act on it one way or another. It was a sort of stand still.

He refocused on Kushina, who had been talking about her useless kunoichi class. Apparently girls had specialized classes for their entire extra curriculum as kunoichi. From what Kushina said, it sounded as if it was boring, tedious and utterly meaningless. He sighed. She was most likely overly dramatic in her descriptions. There had to be some merit to it, or the Academy wouldn't have it in their curriculum.

"….and we have to do a tea ceremony! I mean, how am I going to train to do that? Tsume has a dozen cousins she can badger into have mock tea parties with her, even if it is pointless, but I don't! And why do we have to do something so, so….!"

"Kushina, you'll give me a headache," Minato said resigned.

"We can arrange to have a tea ceremony at my place, if you want to, and we'll invite Inoichi and his parents to come too, and maybe sensei will come if I ask him. Kaero would think it funny anyway. That way you get to try it out and maybe Mrs. Yamanaka would give you some guidance?"

He wasn't keen on the idea himself; he really didn't have the time. His sensei was harsh with him, but when he lived up to his expectations he would reward him with either a technique or teach him new ways of using some he already knew. Yashino had showed him just why the Uchiha clan was a feared one, no matter who the individual you were facing was. They really were amazing ninja, there was no denying that. Inoichi palmed his face.

"You just have to go and give my mum a chance to dress us up formally, don't you? She is still saying how she wished she'd gotten a girl, so she could do all this things with her. She'll love to help out, I promise you that."

Minato turned to him, in hopes of getting one less problem on his shoulders, however small it might be.

"Would you ask her for me please? Or do you think we should write invitations?"

He had no idea how one did these things, aside from what he had picked up here and there. When Yashino's mother had invited him to dine with her and her children, she had given him a written invitation, even when Yashino could have simply asked him to come. Maybe it was better if they did that, it seemed more formal. Though, Kushina was rarely one for formalities. Inoichi looked at him oddly too.

"I swear you spend too much time with that uptight clan," he muttered and shook his head, but his voice was amused. Minato let out a small sigh.

"Will you ask her then?" he pressed and rose. He had a technique to learn and the day didn't get any younger. Inoichi waved disarmingly.

"Yeah yeah, no need for the sour expression, you know," he huffed and Minato dipped his head. He wasn't in the best of moods when he had to look after Kushina and Kaero as well. They were only children, after all, and they needed someone to help them out when Kinuto wasn't around. He was a well liked guy and an efficient shinobi, making him easy to get along with and a sought after team member. Sufficient to say he was often chosen as a member of a team when a team leader got to choose his or her members. This left Minato to look after the two youngest Uzumaki cousins, even if he, in the eyes of everyone else, was a year younger than Kushina. Since he actually felt years older than her, he took it on himself to keep an eye on his mother in a past life.

"Sorry, sorry. I got something I've got to do, and you guys should be back at the Academy in five minutes. The break is over," he reminded them and saw their dawning horror. They sometimes had lunch with him outside of the Academy if he, by some miracle, wasn't training or doing the standard boring D – ranked missions all genin were assigned. They usually ended up in the fields behind the Academy and they always ran late. Minato watched them as Kushina wide eyed dragged a lightly ruffled Inoichi with her by his hand. The blond wondered if his friend might gain a dislodged shoulder from the abrupt departure.

"See you later," Kushina called, and he didn't doubt he would. She'd come barreling into his apartment that evening with her homework, Kaero silently padding after her with a resigned look in his eyes, pop down their books on his kitchen table and do their assignment there, even if they didn't need his help. They just wanted the company, and it was fine with him. He welcomed it, actually and he didn't mind doze off with them around. It was when they left he would dream, and wake up silently swearing he wouldn't let Konoha be destroyed a second time, come hell and high water.

Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts he wandered off to get somewhere further away from the Academy and the possibilities of someone getting accidently caught in his techniques and set to work.

It was another five days before he saw Kushina again. Kinuto came back home and occupied both his cousins' time. Minato thought they were happy to have him back for a while, they certainly were loud enough next door. He didn't drop by, even when he knew they would be welcoming him. He didn't spend much time in his apartment at all, but was mostly to find on a training ground, or with Inoichi.

Yashino had given him his strangest training regime to date, and he needed the Yamanaka's knowledge of flowers to do it. The Uchiha wanted him to study butterflies. He had already studied cats. That was after Yashino found his balance and awareness lacking. Minato was told to observe cats and learn from them. Nothing else, not even what to learn from them, but figured it out when he started to understand them. They were very graceful animals, not at all like dogs, and more importantly, foxes. Canine animals didn't have the same elegance to them, or the same sharp eyes regarding everything around them. They didn't have the same silent paws or the same sneaky way of approaching a pray. A fox would pounce on its pray from up close, a pack of wolves run it down and latch themselves on it, a dog would act much the same way, hyenas were scavengers that held no grace whatsoever, but cats were silent hunters and they were always sneaky when approaching their chosen prey.

As much as he could understand why he had spent the better part of two weeks doing nothing but following cats around, he still didn't understand what butterflies had to do with anything. He knew his sensei had a butterfly embroidered on the shoulder of all his shirts, but he didn't know why. He had asked once, and the blank look he got in return was enough to keep him from asking again. He wondered if Yashino was planning on telling him, since he set him to study butterflies, but he didn't have to like it.

At the moment he was seated in the backyard of the Yamanaka residence, staring at a bush with several sharp orange butterflies fluttering over it. The name of the specie was Julia, but apart from the strong color he didn't see anything special about it. It was a butterfly, pretty and calm, but useless for a ninja. Minato groaned and huffed exasperated. It was a complete waste of time. He'd been sitting like this for hours, ever since Inoichi left for the Academy, and now it was past lunchtime. He still was no closer to understand why he was watching butterflies. Mr. Yamanaka had been watching him for a while too, and heard his huff of aggravation.

"You know, the butterfly Yashino – san has on his shirt is a butterfly called Mourning Cloak," he said thoughtfully and Minato turned quickly to look at him.

"Why does it have such a name?" he asked the man and the older Yamanaka smiled bitter sweetly.

"Why indeed. A butterfly is beautiful, don't you think? The colors and the silky wings make them beautiful to us, but they die quickly, just like a human may do. They are a symbol of how quickly our happiness may disappear; just like beauty it is quick to fade."

Minato looked back at the butterflies, but this time he wondered if that was why his sensei had asked him to study them. To understand that everything, even happiness, was something fleeting and indefinable. He rose silently and thanked Mr. Yamanaka before he left the garden. He had a teacher to hunt down.

Yashino was, for all it was worth, more observant of him than any sensei he had previously had. Considering that they had consisted of someone intent on reading a pornographic book, the other writing said books and the last being a toad, that didn't say much. On the other hand, if he didn't want to be found he was close to impossible to find. He could spend days doing nothing but hover over Minato's shoulders, and then suddenly disappear for several days without any kind of explanation. This time, however, Minato knew where to find him.

Konoha Hospital hadn't changed much over the years, or rather; it wouldn't change much over the years. It was the same large white building with a park surrounding it. Flowing white curtains in the windows and complaining ninja in the hallways. Nurses were patiently trying to explain just why their wounds or other injuries were severe enough to warrant a stay in the most dreaded building in Konoha. It was weird; really, how even the most seasoned ninja would cower in front of the hospital and come up with the craziest reason as to why they didn't need to go there, even when they were about to faint from blood loss. The echoes of 'he's missing again!' and 'when the hell did he get away?!' told him that it was the same whatever time they were in. Minato snickered a little. He hadn't seen her yet, but he knew Tsunade was around somewhere, so the renegade patients would face the wrath of the one of the most renowned female ninja of all time after escaping. The fact that even her anger wasn't enough to keep the ninja in their beds was proof of their common dislike of being holed up in the building.

Minato was fairly certain he would find his cryptic sensei here, probably keeping his sister company and getting to know his new nephew. Akane had given birth to a healthy baby boy two days prior, and Yashino wasted no time in letting everyone know. He was ridiculously happy with the little baby and said he was sure the tyke would grow up to be amazing. Minato wasn't sure what to say. All the child did when he visited yesterday was to sleep in his crib. He was pink, with a tuft of dark hair in his head, and with small fisted hands. Really, Minato understood the importance of a new child and the hope everyone placed in the children, but the baby didn't seem any different to him. It was like all the other children in the ward, but at least the boy hadn't been wailing when Minato was there.

He navigated the corridors to find the right room, knocked and entered. He was met with four identical set of obsidian eyes, and wondered not for the first time if the Uchiha had some sort of supreme eye gen which overruled any other eye color or shape. They were as good as identical all of them. It was actually a better way to recognize them than the fan they bore on their clothes. It gave them away ASAP.

"Yashino sensei, Akane, good day," he greeted them before he tilted his head to look at the two others. Of course he recognized their older mother, Shion. The last person was unknown to him. It was a boy, with dark hair pulled into a ponytail at the nape of his neck, and a rather rigid stance. He looked stressed, but not more than a few years older than Minato. He tried to figure out where he had seen a similar face, but drew a blank and decided not to think about it.

"How are you, Shion – san?" he asked politely and closed the door behind him. The woman smiled brightly at him, while the boy gave him an apperceive look. Yashino just smirked all knowingly and didn't say anything.

"Never better, child. I have finally gotten a grandchild, a little boy to spoil rotten and tell all my stories to."

Minato nodded in agreement and walked over to the bed where Akane rested. She was propped against no less than three pillows and was holding her son with pure adoration on her face.

"Have you decided how to name him?" Minato asked curiously and looked down into the face of the baby. His eyes were still baby blue, but he didn't doubt how they would look in a few weeks when they would change to the black of the Uchiha clan. Akane smiled at him.

"I've decided. He'll be named Uchiha Obito and one day he'll be a true ninja, don't you think?"

Minato had never heard of anyone named Uchiha Obito, but he was only eight when the clan was wiped off the face of the Earth, so for all he knew there might have been a ninja named Uchiha Obito walking around Konoha.

"The name is nice. How did you come up with that?" he asked curiously and reached out a finger for the baby to hold. The infant wrapped a hand around his finger in a surprisingly tight grip and didn't seem to be planning on letting him lose anytime soon. He tugged slightly on his finger, but the baby kept his firm grip without letting up. It was Yashino who answered after having snickered lightly. He quit fast enough, probably due to the venomous glare Akane sent him.

"She's always liked that name. She named her doll Obito when we were children," Yashino admitted but then chuckled.

"It is either that she likes the name a lot, or she didn't bother finding another one."

"Yashino, don't antagonize your sister," Shion said softly from her chair and Yashino immediately shut up. He might be a powerful ninja and all, but when it came to the women in his family he was totally whipped. Perhaps that was why he was so exhilarated he'd gotten a nephew instead of a niece. He dipped his head instead and shifted his gaze to the sky outside, once again lost in whatever memory he pictured. Minato shook his head. Now he had to wait until he got back down to earth before he could get any answers.

"Minato, I would like you to meet someone," Shion said and nodded towards the boy at her side. Minato trotted over and waited for her to continue her introduction.

"This is the great grandson of my cousin, Uchiha Fugako. He is the heir of the clan," she explained, and Minato raised an eyebrow. This was Sasuke's father, he realized. He had to be, or Itachi wouldn't have been the clan heir. Unless this boy had a brother and died…. Nah, the similarities between this boy and Itachi was too uncanny to be anything but that of father and son.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," he said politely and smiled at the other boy. Fugako didn't answer at first, but seemed to assess him or something before he nodded and gave a small smile in return.

"I have heard you are a decent shinobi," he said and Minato blinked unbelievingly. Well, he wasn't sure he should take that as praise or an insult. For an eight year old genin he was damn good, and he knew it. If Fugako knew it or not he didn't give any token of it. Behind them Yashino snorted.

"Don't be cocky, Fugako. Minato could very well swipe the floor with you, even if you are two years older."

Minato could see several emotions flicker in the dark eyes of the young Uchiha, and tilted his head a little. He wondered if he should prove his sensei's statement or just let it slide.

"I see Yashino has trained you well then," Fugako settled on. Minato wanted to bang his head against something hard for a moment, or maybe try to bang Fugako's head against the wall would work better. He wondered what was worse; the Hyuuga branch house with their obsession with fate, or the Uchiha with their obsession with their clan. Maybe obsession ran in the eye technique clans. He had only met one rin'negan user, but he was obsessed with peace. So much so he was willing to destroy the world to obtain it…. Shion chuckled upon seeing Minato's chagrined expression. He was better at hiding his feelings now, but he still showed them when he got rattled enough, and Fugako managed to rattle his being to the core.

"Minato is a very gifted boy, Fugako. You should know yourself how rarely individuals like him appear," she said soothingly and Yashino backed her up with a nod.

"Which brings us up to this, why are you here, Minato? I thought you were studying butterflies."

At this Fuagko gave his clansman a very confused look, but Yashino didn't seem to notice, or he didn't care. Most likely the latter. Minato shrugged.

"I figured out which butterfly you have on your shoulder, sensei," he said simply and Yashino frowned. He suddenly looked weary and a little wary. His eyes went to the sky, but only for a moment before he sighed.

"I see. Then you should pack to leave the village for a week. We'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

Minato couldn't help his surprise. He hadn't been outside of the village since he arrived when he was five, unless he counted the training grounds, and had no idea what Yashino was planning. That wasn't something new with his sensei; he hardly ever told what he was thinking or planning, but to leave the village was huge. Especially for a genin. He had done countless D – ranked missions already, so could it be….

He gave Yachino a sharp look and the man smirked faintly.

"So you figured it out on your own. Yes, we'll be doing C – ranked missions from now on. No more catching that infuriating cat or babysitting Mrs. Aiko's triplets."

"Are you sure?" Minato asked and was honestly curious what his sensei thought about his skills. The Uchiha hummed and the faint, sad smile he had seen a few times before reappeared.

"Sure… Yeah, I am. You are an outstanding student, Minato. I told myself we'd do C – ranked missions once you found the name of my butterfly. All you have to do now…. is to understand," he said, and his voice was uncharacteristically grave. There was a hard glint in his eyes, one that wasn't softened by the usual mirth and laziness overshadowing the emotions he hid. Minato had a feeling he wouldn't like whatever it was Yashino had planned for him.

Fugako looked startled. He had graduated a year before Minato and was just now starting to take C – ranked missions with his team. That the blond who was younger than him was ready to do them now, either spoke of Yashino's rashness, or of Minato's skill.

Minato couldn't help the small smile on his face. He was pretty sure nothing, absolutely nothing, was worse than the triplets. If there ever was something like a curse it was having more than one baby at the time. He had helped out at the orphanage as well, at Yashino's insistence, and he could honestly say it was the scariest thing he had done. Children were downright frightening, and the way they could easily manipulate the most hardened ninja with watery eyes and quivering lips were nothing short of impressive. He wasn't sure, but he thought it might have been Yashino's way of giving him a lesson in precaution when indulging in certain acts, even if he was only eight years old.

"Meet me at the North Gate at sunrise," Yashino said, and with that he gave a brief smile to his sister and mother, completely ignoring the children and left the room to do god only knew what. Minato glanced over at Akane, who shook her head gently.

"Don't mind him. He's always ranting about how boring this village is. He'll be happy to get outside a little," she said happily, and Minato frowned inwardly. The way she said it, it sounded as if Yashino wasn't allowed to leave the village just like that. Of course, no ninja was allowed to just leave, but they had some freedom in their movements. He reflected on what he knew of his strange sensei, but there was nothing there to warrant him to be under house arrest or something similar. Fugako hadn't said anything, but his lips thinned and he huffed under his breath.

"Is there something I should be aware of?" Minato asked them carefully. The Uchihas looked at each other, each of them thoughtful before Shion bent her head a little. Fugako looked at Minato with an unreadable expression before he leant against the chair Shion was sitting in and decided to speak.

"It isn't as if it is a secret, you know, but I understand why they wouldn't tell you. Yashino is an ANBU member, always has been, and for the longest time he headed the assassination squad."

Minato nodded at this. It certainly explained some things, like why his sensei always wanted him to have close to perfect awareness of everything around him. Balance, observation, silence and secrecy were needed to be a good assassin, and being one he obviously trained Minato to be one too. It made sense. Though, something didn't add up here….

"He's still ANBU? I didn't think ANBU members could take on students unless it is some sort of mission?" he asked thoughtfully. He was sure there were a lot of people watching him, studying him, laying plans concerning him, but he didn't think they'd pull out the Captain of the assassination squad just to streamline him into ANBU. Something else was going on there that he didn't know. Akane nodded seriously at him.

"That is so, but after one mission, Yashino asked the Hokageif he could retire from the ANBU. He got into a huge quarrel with the elders of the clan over it too, and it ended with him getting a sort of leave. He's still part of ANBU but at the same time he isn't. When the Hokage asked him to take on a student he acknowledged Yashino's desire to leave and the Elders can't argue it because he is still listed as ANBU on leave."

Minato glanced over at Shion, who was one of the Elders of the Uchiha clan with a tilted head and a question in his eyes. Shion gave a small, sad smile mixed with pride.

"Do you know Yashino was only fifteen when he joined ANBU? He's been there since, that is eight years in the shadow corps and I think that is enough for anyone. Whatever happened at that last mission broke whatever will he had to remain there. He refused to let us know what happened, and the clan head agreed to let him keep it a secret. Probably because the mission was classified and the Hokage would have his head if he tried to pry classified information from his ANBU."

She laughed a little, lightening the suddenly uncomfortable mood in the room.

"Yashino would let the Hokage know if they did, he never lets a chance go by to rile them up, especially since it was something he specifically didn't want to talk about," she laughed and even Fugako tilted his lips into a smirk. Shion chuckled at her daughter's correct assumptions of her brother's character.

Minato was thinking on something else entirely. If it was like this, he still didn't understand why Yashino should have some sort of house arrest placed on him. Shion simply smiled a little at the narrowed blue eyes and too serious expression on the eight year old.

"The elders weren't happy at all with Yashino," she said, and even if she was one of them, she didn't talk as if she was one of them at that moment. She sounded resentful actually. Fugaku shrugged and his expression was one of annoyance. Minato guessed he was having his own problems with the clan elders as the clan heir. He had never envied the friends he had who had to deal with that sort of thing.

"They placed some restrictions on him, which makes the missions with you the only times he can freely leave without causing an uproar," she explained. Minato raised an eyebrow at that. He shouldn't be happy for it, but it hopefully meant they would be taking a lot of missions outside of the village.

"So that's how it is…." He muttered and bit his lower lip musingly. It was most enlightening. It was interesting that even after that, Yashino still was loyal to the clan as a whole. He supposed it was like with someone angry at individuals in the village but still loyal to the village. No one got along with everyone after all. Though, when ninja fell out with their leaders, they usually either 'mysteriously' dropped dead, or turned traitors to their villages. Would the clan leaders consider Yashino a traitor in the end? Minato didn't know the answer to that.

"I have to go, I need to see my friends before I leave and let them know I'm not going to be home the next week," he said hastily, and nodded towards the remaining Uchiha in the room. He waved at the baby, and left them abruptly. He had things to do after all. He wanted to ask someone about Yashino, and try to figure out what happened on that mission to make him back out of ANBU when knowing it would cause troubles for him with the clan elders. Yashino wasn't stupid, and he usually acted as volatile as a fat housecat. Minato could count on one hand the times he had seen his eyes harden like they had at the hospital, and the steely undertone of his voice was just as rare. For him to stir up trouble, to_ bother_ to stir up trouble, it had to be significant.

He was momentarily drawn from his thoughts when he opened the door to his apartment to find Kushina sitting at the table, sitting Indian style on the chair and glaring daggers at a book. Her hair was a mess, further proof that she'd been pulling on it in frustration. He closed the door with a load enough click that it made her aware of his entrance. She looked up and a radiant smile transferred her scowl to a welcoming one.

"What are you doing here?" Minato asked and untied his forehead protector and weapons pouch to drop them on the kitchen counter. He walked past her and went to boil some water while waiting for her to speak up. Since she didn't immediately burst out with it he guessed she was either embarrassed or it was something personal. Or both.

"…Minato, you're really good at chakra manipulations, right?" she asked timidly. It was so wrong to hear her speak like that, and it made him wonder what this was all about.

"Depends on how you view it, but I'm good enough for now," he said diplomatically. He knew he was far above the level of ordinary genin, but he also knew he had a long way to go to do what his sensei wanted him to do. He hadn't even tried to convert the chakra strings into strings of wind elemental chakra. Sure, he had a basic grasp of the theory of how to do it, but as he knew all too well there was a large gap between theory and practice.

"Yeah right, keep telling yourself that. You are damn good at it, so tell me what I am doing wrong," she said impatiently. Minato raise his eyebrows at that, before pouring hot water in his cup.

"You want some?" he asked and got a pointed stare in return. He tried not to sound annoyed when he answered.

"I can't say what you are doing wrong unless you tell me what the problem is, Kushina. Why are you reading about chakra manipulations anyway? It isn't something Academy students usually bother with."

Her eyes narrowed. Good, she got angry, and would tell him what he wanted to know. At least, that was her usual act.

"Quit acting all superior. It isn't funny, and I can read whatever I want to."

"Yes, but you still haven't told me what's wrong," he agreed pleasingly. He went looking for something to eat, preferably something sweet. He hadn't eaten anything sweet all day, and he really, _really_needed some if he was to endure Kushina when she was in one of her pouting moods.

"Are you even listening to me?" she asked suspiciously. He turned around with a reassuring grin.

"Don't worry, I am listening. I can listen to you and search for my treats at the same time."

Kushina stared at him, for a long moment before she shook her head slowly.

"Kaero hid your pocky earlier today. He said it isn't healthy to be eating it all the time, but forgot you eat dango for lunch."

Suddenly she had a sly smile as Minato paled at the idea of his sweets being hidden.

"….Can it be that you haven't had your usual sugary kick and that's what making you so grouchy? Geez, you really are addicted, aren't you? Honestly! But if it gets you more cooperative, they are beneath the towels in the bathroom."

Minato went to get them without another word. He would have word with the brat about hiding his sweets when he came back. He'd been close to emptying the sugar jar in his tea and transform it into syrup, which didn't sound too bad until he could sit down with the sweets. Then he remembered that he didn't particularly care for sweetened tea after all.

"So why are you worried about the chakra manipulations anyway?" he asked and tilted his head towards the book she'd been reading. Kushina grumpily closed it and handed it back to him. It was his anyway.

"The other girls all have really good chakra control, and mine is just regular. I wanted to impress them, I guess."

Now, that was an honest response, and one he hadn't expected. Perhaps she was maturing a little despite her young age. Minato hummed and wondered what he was going to tell her. He was familiar with the problems of chakra control; it had been his pet peeve for the longest time, until inhabiting another body, that is. It wasn't exactly an advice he could give her either. Oh, go get yourself a demon, have an insane member of the Uchiha clan try to control said demon with his creepy eyes and maybe said demon will do whatever and throw you into the body of a relative. No, that wasn't exactly the way to go….

"Not everyone can be good at it. If you have a lot of chakra it is more difficult to control, and you have more than most kunoichi. It only means you are better suited for ninjutsu than some of the more traditional kunoichi fighting styles. In that regard you are more like a shinobi than a kunoichi," he said slowly, proving that he to some extent was still very, very dense. Her eyes flashed for a moment, before she huffed. It was a compliment after all. Sort of. It was true even if it wasn't, and she liked it that way. Minato rested his head again a popped up hand while thinking it over.

"If you want to be better at it, you could do the leaf balance exercise every morning or afternoon. It should help you with your control, and the awareness of your chakra."

It was what he'd had to do for two and a half years with Jiraiya. If it helped him, it should help Kushina too, considering her chakra control was better than his had been. He felt a bit bitter about that. Having a seal constantly messing with your chakra, either drawing on it or releasing more into your system, isn't very helpful in regards to controlling it. Oh, well, he'd make up for it now.

"Do you think that's going to help?" she asked doubtful.

"Yeah, I usually do some sort of chakra control every morning before I meet up with Yashino sensei. He's totally fixed on it, and won't let me slip even the slightest. That and he is nagging me about having a small chakra pool, so I have to enlarge it somehow."

She blinked and looked surprised for a moment.

"Eh, really? I didn't know you trained before your training…. That sounded wrong, but when do you get up? You eat breakfast with us almost every morning so when do you have time to train?"

Minato smiled cryptically.

"That is a mystery for another day, my friend, but if that was all you wanted to ask me, I have to get some sleep. Yashino sensei is taking me on my first C – ranked mission tomorrow and I wanted to be fully rested before we leave."

Her eyes went wide, just like he knew they would. She was gaping, and pointed accusingly at him. It did remind him of a goldfish on dry land.

"C – ranked!? That is sooo unfair! I bet it is because you are everyone's little perfect genius right? If it was anyone else they wouldn't let them, you haven't been a genin for even a year yet! How did you do that?"

Minato smiled and laughed as he knew his answer would confuse her and annoy her.

"I studied butterflies. Lots and lots of butterflies!"

* * *

There it is. Hm, the next chater is predictably named Butterfly's Story 2. I am nearly finsihed with it as well. Originally it was part of this chapter, but this grew too long as it is. It is sort of a interlude to learn something about Yashino. I don't like Oc's and wouldnt have bothered if it wasn't neccesary, but the his background story will be important for Minato later on. Oh, and I don't have anything against canines. I am actually pretty fond of wolves, but I have always considered cat's to be more assassin like.


	9. Butterfly's Story 2

_Minato smiled and laughed as he knew his answer would confuse her and annoy her. _

"_I studied butterflies. Lots and lots of butterflies!" _

* * *

8.

The feeling of wind sweeping against his face and the wild freedom of simply racing through the trees was wonderful. It didn't matter that the night was damp and the moon's light obscured by the canopy, it was exhilarating. Minato wanted to laugh load and his heart raced as he deftly followed the dark shape of Yashino step for step. He could make barely make him out, and he was so silent Minato wouldn't have known he was there if he wasn't seeing him. Their chakra was suppressed. Yashino had done it as soon as they exited the village gates, and Minato followed. It wasn't something one would usually do for a simple C – ranked mission, but he supposed Yashino acted on habits.

His grin broadened when he saw Yashino glance back at him with a smile on his lips. He couldn't see the smile, but he knew it was there. It was impossible not to smile, when the chase in the treetops made them feel so much alive. Minato wondered how he could have lived without this for the past years, without the thrill of a mission and the adrenaline building on anticipation. The feeling of pure joy made him leap up beside Yashino and grin mischievously as he sped off between the branches. The Uchiha made a sound that could be a chuckle, and Minato could practically feel him close the distance again before he suddenly was in front of him and the blond swore he saw Yashino wink at him.

They continued their game of cat and mouse throughout the night, hunting each other and overtaking each other with every step. It wasn't a very energy efficient way of travel, but they did cover a great distance, and Minato was surprised to note that his sensei didn't reach for a single cigarette as they leapt from tree to tree. Yashino proved he could be playful when he wanted to be, when he sometimes would push or pull at Minato to make him lose balance or concentration. Minato pushed back, or tried to, since he had to actually get close enough to Yashino to reach him, and when he did succeed Yashino laughed. It wasn't the dry, sort of mirthful laugh with an undertone of bitter irony that he was used to, but pure joyous laughter. It was a weird to see Yashino enjoying himself.

When dawn broke they landed in a small clearing and Yashino laughed softly, his eyes dancing with happiness and not the bland mirth Minato had gotten used to. It made him look younger, and more there, as opposite to the distance he kept when staring at the far away sky. Minato laughed too, but his laughter was broken slightly by his heavier breathing.

"We should do that more often, don't you think Minato?" he asked and smiled brightly at his young charge. Minato stared at him for a moment, and nodded with a small smile. He breathed out one more time before he straightened and tilted his head at his teacher.

"Hey, sensei, what are we doing out here?" he asked tentatively. He hadn't asked Yashino about the mission yet, and he hadn't offered up anything either. They had left at dawn two days ago, and the first thing Yashino had done was to turn his day upside down. They traveled at night hidden by the darkness and the canopy of trees, but he gave no explanation as to why. At the moment, as far as Minato was able to tell, they were somewhere along the border of Fire Country and Sea Country.

Sea Country was a smaller country and dealt mostly with shipping and trade. They had no Hidden Village, and as far as Minato knew, they didn't have any kind of treaty with Fire either. During the war they had kept inconspicuously quiet and calm. They had continued their trading routes as if nothing was going on, and even if it was a Secret war it did affect the countries at large. But not Sea. Sea remained untouched, tucked safely between the coast of Fire Country and the coast of River country. From there they sent their ships east to Wind Country, or northwest to the many small nations littering the coast before it reached Water Country. What they were doing in this backwater nation was beyond Minato.

Yashino focused at him and chuckled at his peeved expression.

"I know where we are, if you were wondering," he ensured, but Minato wasn't worried about that. Yashino spacing out hadn't happened since they had left the village, and even if he was prone to walk without thinking inside the village walls, he doubted his sensei would do that on a mission. Considering his previous post Minato wasn't sure if it was possible for him to space out on a mission. He seemed to have snapped back in full mission modus as soon as they left the gate, suppressing chakra and traveling only at night. That was something ANBU would do, not something normal ninja on a normal mission would. It was considered too tedious by most. Their little game that night had been the exception. It had been surprisingly fun….

"I am sure," he said dryly, and Yashino smirked at the deadpanned answer. Minato had the distinct feeling Yashino was enjoying himself immensely. He was nearly bouncing, as incredible as that sounded.

"What I meant was to ask you what our mission is?" Minato corrected and got that bad feeling again when Yashino turned serious in the blink of an eye. He felt as if he was watching the ANBU captain and not his sensei. It didn't help that he could see the shimmering red beneath the black in his eyes.

"I guess I should fill you in. I haven't told you yet, have I?"

Minato resisted rolling his eyes at the obviously rhetorical question. Yashino motioned for him to follow as they started to walk normally at the forest floor.

"I don't need to tell you this, since you know it, but during a war a lot of people are made homeless. Families are torn apart, mothers and fathers killed, children lost, refugees wandering aimlessly in search of some shelter and a new home. Whole nations went under during the last war. It made thousands of people lose their home, some lost the earth they'd been living off, some had their homes burned, it doesn't really matter how, the important thing is that it happened."

Minato wondered where his sensei was going with this, but he kept silent and listened. If it was one thing he had learnt with Yashino it was that there was always more to what he tried to teach him that the obvious. The bastard _liked_ mind games.

"These people don't have anyone to protect them. They don't have a home, often not a country to belong to and no money. They are, in lack of a better word, free prey. Those who are stronger, those who have no scruples or morals when it comes to earning money, can easily earn money on the people left defenseless by our war."

Minato felt a chill go down his spine. He had heard stories, of course, but he had never actually believed them to be true. He had heard from the elder ninja in his past life of missions concerning certain aspects of despicable trade. Human trade. Slaves. He had thought there was something to it, but he hadn't thought it was something he would ever be entangled in, and certainly not something which happened on Fire Country's borders. He glanced at his sensei and wondered what they were supposed to do.

"The Hokage wondered why Sea's been keeping so quiet and docile during these years, and ANBU investigated it. They've been keeping track of Sea's slave shipments. Most of them head northwards, towards Water. We aren't sure why or what the Mizukage is planning with so many slaves, but something is going on there alright. Anyway, that is ANBU's problem, not ours. We are simply doing a sweeping."

"….Sweeping?" Minato questioned not sure if he got the meaning of that. Yashino shrugged and Minato noted that sometime during his briefing he'd pulled out a kunai and was absentmindedly swirling it on a finger. He'd never seen Yashino toy with anything, not even the cigarettes, and to see him play with a kunai while talking about sweeping was unsettling. Yashino hummed and his eyes swiped over the area around them, flashing red every now and then in response to whatever thoughts he had.

"Yeah, sweeping…. It is a term used when you head in to kill everyone in a certain area, organization or family."

Minato's eyes widened and he cursed in his mind. He had known he wouldn't like whatever it was Yashino had planned for him, and this was proving it. While he found the whole slave trade despicable, he still didn't want to cold heartedly kill a whole bunch of people just like that. Yashino eyed him for a moment, before he resolutely turned his eyes forwards.

"I was older than you are now when I was roped in for my first assassinations," he admitted silently. His voice was so soft Minato wouldn't have made it out if he wasn't trained to pick up low sounds. He looked up at Yashino, but his face was blank and void of any kind of emotion, even the lazy mirth he used to hide behind.

"I was ten, and had awakened my sharingan only a month prior. According to my clan and whoever decides those things that were enough to get me promoted at the chuunin exams…. So yeah, a fresh chuunin picked to assassinate a family of seven. They were part of the daimyo's court, and with the power struggles going on between two of the old daimyo's sons at the time people were killed left and right. It is ironic that Konoha ninja did most of those assassinations, but then again, the Hokage always likes to keep track of what goes on there."

Minato didn't say anything but waited for Yashino to continue. The story wasn't over, and it was interesting to learn something about his sensei.

"Can you do it, Minato? Can you kill you heart for your village? Because it is your duty as a ninja of Konoha to carry out the missions we get flawlessly, and this is our mission. Do you think when the time is there, that you can end a human life knowingly, willingly and efficiently?"

Minato didn't answer at first. It wasn't as if he hadn't killed before, in his other life. No, he had killed plenty of people, but that was in open battle. They had a fair chance of defending themselves, but he was a shinobi, and they didn't fight with honor. They fought with whatever suited them best at the moment, and if assassination was the easiest way to succeed, then assassination it was. It had to be, or he would never be able to rise in the ranks as he had planned. He suddenly remembered what Yashino had asked him the day they first met, when he accepted him as a student.

'_What is your reason, Minato, to want to walk this path in life? To want to willingly soak your hands in blood, sell your soul for your village and kill your heart for your sanity?'_

Sell you soul for the village… and kill your heart for your sanity. If he wanted to serve his village in this time, he'd have to swallow whatever regret and guilt he'd feel, he'd have to do things he couldn't justify by idealistic views, he'd have to sell his soul, and kill his heart. Hard icy blue eyes met blood red, and he started, because it was the first time he saw the awakened sharingan in the eyes of Yashino. Three tomoes in each eye, slowly spinning and glowing in the bleak morning light. Minato met his eyes dead on, and nodded. He'd do it, because sooner or later he'd have to and sooner or later ideals weren't enough and this was a time where he didn't have a choice. For the sake of the future, he had to quell his misgivings and accept the path of twilight every ninja walked.

"I will."

It wasn't a question, or a sentence, it was a statement. He would, and gods help him he would. He fisted his hands for a second, before he was aware of doing it and loosened them. He looked up at his sensei again, but the shining red of his eyes were once again darkened to an onyx black. He wondered briefly why his sensei had activated the bloodline while waiting for his answer, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know. He was pretty sure he'd never understand the enigmatic Uchiha.

"What happened?" he asked after a while. Yashino glanced questioningly at him.

"The first time you assassinated someone, what happened?" Minato asked again, but didn't expect an answer. He was astonished when Yashino smiled wryly and answered.

"I did it, of course. It was a B – ranked missions, since it was assassination, but it wasn't really difficult or dangerous. They were only one of many families at the court, and for some reason targeted in the power struggle. They lived in a small mansion and it was ridiculously easy to sneak past the guards and access the targets. I have a feeling the guards might have been bribed, but I never cared to find out…. Anyway, it went smoothly until I reached the youngest children. One was only a baby, and I couldn't help but stop and wonder what the hell I was doing."

Yashino grimaced and shook his head at some other thought he had. Minato watched him and wondered what he was thinking, but it was as usual impossible to tell.

"That was the day I killed my heart, as they say. I slit their throats and walked out of there as if it was the most natural thing in the world. There wasn't anything more to it, it was my mission, my duty to the village and the village depended on me to fulfill it. If I couldn't even to that, what kind of ninja would I be?"

Minato didn't say anything, and they continued their walk in silence. It was noon before they stopped and found a place to rest and wait for the dusk. The dense forest of Fire Country had given way to a lusher, open forest with smaller trees and clearly defined paths. They weren't worried about anyone seeing them, but they still decided for one to keep watch while the other rested. Minato got the second watch, and regarded Yashino as he slept. The Uchiha lay on the side, one arm under his head and under the other hand was a kunai. His breathing was even, but Minato could tell from where he sat that it wasn't a deep slumber. It was more like a light doze where most of the senses where still alert.

His theory was proven when he went to wake his teacher. Yashino's eyes were open when Minato got within five feet of him, and he had a feeling he had been aware of his movements as soon as he rose. He did however note that Yashino reflexively gripped the kunai tightly and stiffened before he was entirely coherent again. Any trace of sleep was gone when he sat up and let his eyes trail the sky to get an approximated time.

"Sensei, may I ask something?" Minato asked and Yashino nodded absentmindedly.

"You said this slave trade really is the ANBU's problem, so why are we sent to assassinate the traders?" he asked and Yashino blinked before he hummed and rubbed the back of his neck to loosen the stiffness in his shoulders.

"Sea Country is a neutral country, and as such it doesn't matter to Fire where they get their money from, officially, that is. The daimyo and the Hokage are perfectly fine with ignoring them as long as they keep that particular trade outside of the Fire Country's borders. We do need the supplies they bring us on their ships after all, so it wouldn't do to have the country bankrupt."

For once Minato realized why he liked Yashino so much. He didn't just explain what they were doing, but why and the reasons behind it. There were so many more sides to some missions than the black and white he'd been used to. Guarding princesses and fighting a war seemed rather two dimensional compared to missions where politics and economy were involved. Well, there was money involved in every mission, but not necessary on a large scale like this. He understood why the Hokage pretended Sea Country was as goody two shoed as they presented themselves to be, but it still didn't explain what they were doing there.

"Sea country, like every other country, gets their money from taxes, so they don't control their different traders too much. They are aware of the ban Fire Country has on slave trade within its borders, so they usually discourage their people to try something like that there, since the Hokage and the Fire Daimyo would frown upon it if they knowingly broke their law. They aren't stupid enough to antagonize the closest military power to them, and they are quite aware that Fire Country could annex them without any trouble if they annoy our Daimyo or Hokage too much. That is their main reason to keep their exotic trade from Fire Country; the other is the scandal it would bring them. Officially Sea Country looks down on slave trade and is firmly against it 'because all human lives are valuable and none should be considered goods'."

Yashino snorted a little and Minato couldn't help the smirk on his own face. He wondered how many were aware of the exotic trade of Sea Country, but knew it was probably common knowledge among the ninja populace and kept a secret to the civilians. Wasn't that how it usually was? Even the standard military wasn't usually aware of much of what occurred in their own country.

"As it is, it seems one company in particular hasn't caught on to that, or the owner simply suffers some standard suicidal notions because they have been producing slaves for several nobles in Fire Country, something our Daimyo was less than pleased with. He encouraged the Hokage to have the company erased. We are taking out the owner, while ANBU will be handling the rest. I don't know when they will be hitting but probably after we are done, if they aren't at work already."

Minato could see what they were doing. They could easily scare the owner and the company away from Fire Country, but that wouldn't send the right message. On the other hand, if they killed every single one of them, that gave an undisputable warning. Keep to our unspoken agreement or else. Brutal, but less so than to go to war with Sea Country. Who knew what kind of mess that would create with Wind Country, who was much more dependent on the shipments from Sea than Fire was.

"So we are to sweep the home of the owner, and the ANBU will take out the rest?" Minato summarize and Yashino nodded once in agreement.

The trees here were too small for them to travel from branch to branch, so they were forced to keep to the ground, running zigzag to avoid the tree trunks. The air was less humid than it had been the night before, and there was a distinct tint of salt in it. A soft breeze met them as they stopped to survey the capitol of Sea Country, bringing with it a whisper of the deep sea and the smells from the town beneath them.

The town wasn't that large, it looked clean enough too, with a stone wall surrounding it and one visible gate. They both knew most towns had more than one gate. Konoha had the main gate, but they also had four others, one each for the four directions; north, south, west and east. Only ninja leaving for a mission could use them, but they had to enter through the main gate when they returned. The exception was ANBU, who came and left as they pleased, more or less, through any of the gates. Usually the normal ninja wouldn't bother with the smaller gates, but considering what Yashino used to be, Minato wasn't surprised that he'd used one of the smaller gates.

This wall wouldn't be a problem, with or without gates. It was a normal wall, without any defenses against ninja. Konoha's walls were inscribed with seals, keeping anyone from climbing on them or otherwise stick to them with chakra. There was a reason they stood after Pain had smashed everything else. Sturdy, those old things was.

"There are guards," Minato commented as he saw a small group of men walk down the main road of the town.

"'Course there are," Yashino answered uncaringly. He looked downright bored with the entire situation. He most likely was, used as he was to take S – ranked missions. He probably felt this was a run of the mill assassination with nothing overly exiting going all. Too bad Minato couldn't agree with him. His nerves were wracking havoc with his stomach and he felt his heart beat uncomfortable fast. He nearly choked when he felt a hand on his shoulder. His eyes snapped form the town to Yashino, who was squatting down beside him.

"Don't worry, Minato. It'll be fine, I'll be there with you all the way, and afterwards," he said softly and reached out a little hesitant before he ruffled his hair. Minato was too shocked to say anything at all, just followed the man as he rose and started to run towards the town. The night covered them from any spying eyes, and their soft steps too silent for anyone but the ll observing cats to notice.

Perhaps it was because he was so nervous but Minato was the one saving them from walking right into one of the patrols. All his senses were screaming to him, and when he heard the steady thud thud from the guards steps, he immediately shot one hand out and grabbed the back of Yashino's west to hold him back. The Uchiha stopped abruptly, and if Minato had been larger he would have stumbled straight into him from the sudden halt. The glanced around the corner and saw the patrol, and both grimaces as it was heading their way.

The houses weren't tall enough and didn't stand close enough for them to hide on the walls. They could hide on the roof tops, but the guards were certain to notice the movements if they suddenly started to climb up the walls with them so close. Minato could see the irritated glare Yashino shot the roof, and in a split second made his decision. His sensei wouldn't think twice about killing the guards if they were discovered, that much he knew about him, but that would leave a mess and the Daimyo of Sea Country wouldn't be happy about his soldiers being slaughtered on his streets.

He quickly flashed through a couple of hand seals and whispered softly; Sly Mind Effect Technique. The effect was instantaneous. The guards faltered for a split second, and Minato could see how their expressions suddenly were studiously blank. They walked right past the two ninjas, not turning or looking around even once. They would continue their patrol blindly and not stop before either the technique ran out of chakra, or they were woken from it. The first was the most likely alternative, considering this was ordinary soldiers with no experience in fighting genjutsu, and no one would wonder why a patrol was patrolling. It was what they did.

"That's some quick thinking," Yashino praised quietly. Minato just nodded and swallowed heavily. This was worse than any mission he had ever had. His nerves were horrible. He felt as if they were balancing on the edge of a cliff, and one wrong move would send them tumbling into certain death. He hadn't noticed before, but his hands were sweaty and all his muscles were tense, ready to act on the slightest suspected hostile motion. He didn't answer his sensei, just wondered what the hell kind of C – ranked mission this was. Had the Hokage experimented with some new herbal mixture in his tobacco when he ranked it? He must have been freaking high when he did. This suspense was simply killing him slowly.

When he didn't receive any answer, and probably not expecting one either, Yashino motioned for Minato to follow him until they reached a part of the town with more expensive houses and green gardens separating the houses from the road.

The house they were heading for was as silent as all the others, illuminated only by the moonlight. It wasn't much; the moon was only a scythe on the sky. A pale, silvery glow and nothing more. The shadows were dark, and as they jumped over the low wall surrounding the sound of something running had Yashino act on pure instinct. Minato had seen shurikens fly many times. He had thrown them himself, had them thrown at him, in sunlight, in moonlight, in the darkest night and in pouring rain, but that night the flight of the shuriken looked different.

The gleam of metal through the darkened air, the silvery light of the moon glittering sharply as they spun and the whistling sound they made in the otherwise complete silence. The only other sound they heard was the running and the distant sound of never ending waves hitting the shore.

The yelps when the shurikens hit sounded too loud and sharp in the night, and the glossy surface of blood was seen only because the pale moon in the sky was just right. It was otherworldly, the silence that followed, and the low breath Yashino breathed out as the dogs fell motionless to the ground and no movements followed them. The shurikens were buried deeply within flesh and fur, and the only red Minato could see as he shifted only a little was the red glow of sharingan eyes.

"Shit. I'm out of training," Yashino mumbled and eased himself from the wall to the ground. Minato didn't dare make a single sound in fright of disturbing something else. Heck, the dogs were as big as he was! Where did people get these beasts?

The crept silently up to the house, and this time both of them were utilizing every bit of skill they had. There was no way they were going to fail this, when they had already been scared half to death. The house had two levels, and from what they could see where they knelt under a window, there were servants in the house. Not necessary awake, but they heard someone walking upstairs. The floor was creaking.

Yashino tapped his chest and pointed upwards, indicating that he'd take whatever was upstairs, and Minato agreed reluctantly. He was not fond of the idea of being separated from Yashino. He knew he couldn't have reacted as the older man had earlier with the dogs and killed them simply from ingrained reflexes. He didn't have reflexes like that. It was pure luck no one had heard the yelps the dogs made when they were struck or seen their shadows as they clung to the wall.

He watched for a moment as Yashino disappeared in the shadows, assumingly to find a window on the second floor. Minato slowly peered through the window they had been sitting under and into a small room. There was nothing to see, really. It looked like a small office, with a desk, a table and some chairs. No longer afraid of someone catching him in there he concentrated and formed thin strings of chakra that found their way to the handles on the inside on the window. There was no sound as the glowing blue strings, as thins as a strand of hair, wound their way around the handles and suddenly tightened as Minato slowly lifted his hands to open the window. The handles followed the strings and the window cracked open.

He room smelled of dust and wood polish. That was the only thought Minato had as he closed the window and crept over to the door. He had a kunai in his right hand, ready to strike if someone was waiting outside, but the hallway was as empty as the room had been. The door next to this one led into a larger room, a reception room, Minato mused, and was eerily silent, just like the rest of the house. He supposed he wouldn't have thought it was eerie but ordinary if he hadn't been there to kill every single living being in the house. He breathed out a sigh of relief but stiffened as he felt movement from somewhere. He quickly stepped into the shadows under an ugly, stuffed tiger head. The skin was on the floor, he noted absently, as he tightened his grip on the kunai.

He heard steppes now. Definite. Light steps, of someone who knew their way around the house, because they were secure and didn't falter even once.

"…useless new girl," he heard a male voice mutter irritably.

"I asked her to close the doors. Can't do a thing right, I swear. If it wasn't for the mistress liking her I would have…" the rest dissipated in his muttering, and Minato stilled as the man, a servant if he wasn't mistaken, stepped into the room. He didn't notice him, where he was perched on the wall right under the stuffed tiger head, and didn't even suspect someone else was in the room with him when Minato dropped from the wall and masterly landed with both his feet on the back of the man.

He didn't care to consider what he did or give the man a chance to react and possible throw off his much lighter weight as he plunged the kunai hard into the back of the man's neck. He heard bone crunch under his hands and swallowed rapidly as the body he was straddling convulsed and the man let out a low gurgling sound. Blood splattered from his mouth to the immaculate floor, and Minato cursed the noise from the trashing body. He drew another kunai and stabbed into the side of the neck, where he knew the jugular was. The trashing stopped, almost at once, and he rose, not noticing how his entire body was shaking. He wasn't sure the movements stopped because the man died from the lethal wound to the neck or because of the severed jugular, and he didn't care. He simply stood up and walked from the room while closing the door behind him. One was down.

He glided from room to room, but the next rooms where all empty, until he reached the smaller rooms behind the kitchen. It was where some of the servants lived, and he was somewhat glad they were asleep. It was easier to slit the throat of someone asleep than someone awake. He purposely didn't think about how these people weren't involved in whatever their master did. They were only hired to do a job, but as Yashino had said, a sweeping demanded _everyone_ dead, guilty or not. There were two servants asleep and one chef.

Minato nearly had a heart attack when he came back to the kitchen, and came face to face with a woman kneading dough. Her face contorted in anger, probably thinking him a thief or some other intruder, then she spotted the bloodied kunai in his hand and her eyes went wide form fear. He could see how her chest expanded as she drew a deep breath, how her skin paled and how her eyes fixed themselves on his forehead protector. She knew what he was, and more importantly, she knew what fate had in store for her. She didn't scream; she didn't even try to move as the kunai sped towards her, and Minato ran at her with another one drawn. The thrown kunai embedded itself in her chest, but before she could make a sound of pain, shock or fear, she was knocked to the floor by the impact of the boy jumping her and her throat slit.

Minato took a deep, steadying breath and sighed. Where the fucking hell had she come from? There weren't any other adjourned rooms then the ones he had already been in, and he was certain Yashino wouldn't have let her wander from upstairs without killing her. Why had she even been up at this time of the day? He shook himself and left the kitchen soundlessly. The dead woman lay forgotten behind him, her eyes unseeing and widened from the terror she felt in the moment of her death.

He made his way through the house, once again searching every single room to find out where she'd come from, until he was certain it wasn't from anywhere downstairs. He carefully tapped the wall and wondered if his sensei was finished. He didn't think he'd use much more time than him, even if it was likely that there were more people sleeping upstairs than downstairs where all the common rooms was. He didn't have to wait long, and he frowned at the emotionless face of his sensei. There was nothing either in his eyes or his face that looked remotely like a feeling at all. It was a perfect blank mask. He might as well have worn an ANBU mask.

"One of them got away. I don't think she noticed anything," Yashino said flatly. Minato raised one eyebrow and pointed towards the kitchen. Yashino quickly made his way over and glanced in. He spotted the dead woman and nodded satisfied at his student.

"We should leave. It is getting late," he said in the same detached tone, and Minato couldn't help but frown even deeper at the flash of red in his eyes, as if he was struggling to keep his sharingan deactivated. He knew the bloodline activated on its own from great emotional stress, so what had gotten his sensei so worked up? They left the way Minato had entered, and as if they had never been there the day broke over the capitol of Sea Country.

The forest seemed bleaker, somehow, and the chirping from the birds was, in Minato's ears, too loud and too sharp and far too annoying right now. The sun was too sharp as well, glaring down at them as if to accuse them of blatant murder, which was, in the eyes of anyone but another ninja, the truth. The worst, however, was Yashino's rapidly deterring mood. He had been sullen when they left the town, but now he was downright aggravated and glaring with red eyes at everything and nothing. He didn't seem to notice how tired Minato was before he stumbled and nearly lost his footing among the numerous roots penetrating the forest floor. Yashino was quick to keep him from falling, steadying him and silently watching him as he got some of his breath back.

"Sorry about that," he muttered and his eyes reverted back to their calm black. Minato tried to answer, but with the way he was still gasping for breath he didn't get to voice anything but broken words. When he finally got around enough to not heave for every breath he took, Yashino was leaning against a tree, his eyes closed and his hands pushed into his pockets. If it hadn't been for the tenseness in his posture, Minato could have sworn he was asleep.

"Sensei?" he questioned concerned.

"Sensei, did something happen?" he asked again, and this time Yashino looked up from his thoughts. Haunted eyes, Minato thought as he saw the grim look on his sensei's face, but than a soft look overtook Yashino and he walked over to Minato and motioned for him to sit down with him.

"I'll be fine kid, don't worry about it."

Minato sincerely doubted that.

"That isn't the same as being fine, sensei. What happened to you? You were scary and your eyes activated on their own."

A hand landed on his head and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"It is along story. Why don't you rest, eh? I'll keep watch so don't worry about it."

Minato stubbornly refused to give in that easily. He wanted to know, because Yashino was everything but fine. Fine wasn't barely managing to control his anger, and he didn't have clue as to what angered Yashino so.

"Does it have something to do with why you quit ANBU?" he asked and knew he was right when Yashino stiffened and stared at him. He was sure the hand that ran through his hair was an involuntarily move to cover up his discomfort, and the hitch in his breath definitely gave him away.

"Your mother and Akane told me," he offered when Yashino opened his mouth to ask something, probably how he knew about that. When Yashino let out a snort somewhere between a laugh and a frustrated sigh Minato knew he'd get to know what bothered Yashino. Maybe even what had happened on that fateful ANBU mission.

"Minato, that is something they shouldn't be talking about," Yashino warned and Minato nodded.

"I know, but you were weird back at the hospital too, so they probably thought it was best I knew," he defended them, and this time he was the sullen one. Yashino sighed deeply and leant against a tree, relaxing and for a moment Minato was sure he was going to tell him to go to sleep and not put his nose where it didn't belong.

"You are still young, and I'm not sure if you'll understand, but when you've taken as many missions as I have, and many of them top ranked, you start to develop some instincts and reflexes. Most of the time they'll save your life," he said softly. Minato scooted closer and tilted his head while listening to the story. He was aware of these actions, they needed a trigger when the body was the right mindset, which proved that Yashino had been focused on the mission when the dogs showed up. That wasn't the sort of reflexes one where able to do if the brain was registering what was happening. What that had been was pure ingrained instinct.

"The mission we had was to hunt down a missing nin. It was odd, because we were solely an assassination squad, and we were just getting back from another mission. It didn't feel right from the start…. We weren't to kill him either, just apprehend him and bring him back for interrogation. The Hokage said he didn't have any other teams available at the time, but we did get two green members of the tracking squad to help us out. That is the sort of thing they usually do after all."

Yashino trailed off, his eyes fastened on the sky and Minato wondered if he was going all distant on him again.

"When we caught up with him it was a nightmare, because my team was already tired and we weren't used to catch our targets alive. All our tactics were based on hit and kill as fast as possible. The fewer hits the better and one hit per kill preferably. It is the tracking squad that usually deals with capture, but the ones we got with us were green recruits with next to no experience with our mission's level, and to work together with a team focused on assassination instead of a team more suited to the situation didn't help. The entire thing got out of hand…"

Minato watched silently as Yashino crossed his arms over his chest, as if trying to keep warm even when the sun was high on the sky and the temperature far above what it had been during the night. He had paled, and Mianto wasn't sure if his sensei knew or not that he looked as white as a sheet.

"I separated the target from my team and killed him. I didn't care what our mission was; as long as the bastard got away from my subordinates I was satisfied. I can't remember killing him…. It is weird, I should remember it, but I still can't. I was too tired, irritated and angry to care and just as I realized what I had done, I sensed someone behind me…. They didn't make and sounds, or flare their chakra or in any other way announce who they were or why they were there. I was still full of adrenaline form the battle, and too caught up in the moment to think, so I lashed out on instinct."

He winced, and closed his eyes to hide the tears forming and making them shiny and blanker than they already was. While he spoke they'd been glazed, and Minato flinched as he heard the story. Only an idiot sneaks up on someone just out of a fight and don't make their presence known. It's like asking to be hit with something, but usually not a deadly attack. Surely, it wasn't a deadly attack. Though, having seen what Yashino did to the dogs, he wasn't ready to bet on that.

"My team knew of my overly honed reactions, so they always kept their distance if we were separated during a fight, or they'd speak or flare their chakra to make me aware of them. Anyone with some sense do, it is common sense to do so…. But the two trackers we had with us didn't think so, and they took a B – ranked fire technique head on."

Minato flinched. He really did. He'd seen what fire attacks could do to a body, and a high ranking one was downright deadly. Even if Yashino didn't say which technique he'd used, it wasn't needed. Minato knew what to expect from a fire attack of that caliber. It was hot; burning just about anything in its way, and anyone caught in it would find themselves in an inferno of flames. There was nothing you could do to avoid it if you were already caught in it, because the pain of having your skin burned off would block out any coherent thought, and the fire wouldn't stop until what fueled it was gone. Fire was indeed a purely offence oriented element.

"What happened to them?" he asked quietly and Yashino would have missed the grimace Yashino made if it wasn't for the hand he placed on the butterfly on his shoulder.

"They died from their wounds. One while we were heading back to Konoha, and the other one two days later in hospital."

Yashino sighed and looked wearily at him.

"The dogs reminded me that I still can't control my reflexes, and I was terrified I might hit you with something. I first thought the sounds the woman made when she left her room were you, so I didn't do anything…. Go to sleep Minato, I'll keep watch."

Minato didn't argue with him, even though he still didn't know what had made Yashino angry. He was pretty sure his sensei didn't want him to see him cry.

* * *

Ehehe, don't be angry with me for the last part. Yashino really is pretty messed up. He's just good at hiding it. I thought I should thank everyone who has reviewed as well; I appreciate it and I read all of them, even if I haven't been answering them yet. I'll see if I get around to do it sometime. Some of you seem to be interested in the pairings. All I'll say is that it won't be a Minato/Kushina pairing. They are cozy together, yes, but as sister - brother cozy. I have a spesific pairing in mind for Minato, but who that is will remain a secret until I am sure I can pull it off naturally. I am not about to change my storyline just to fit in a romance (no it isn't Anko either). As for Kushina, well, lets just say I have something in mind for her too=). Some might wonder what Yashino's last ANBU mission has to do with anything, so I'll tell you that it'll be clear later on. He's a ninja, and of course didn't tell Minato everything there is to it. I have planned the next seven chapters ahead, named respectively 'Tell You What', 'Into the Water', 'Bloody Mist'. I haven't decided for the fourth if I am to name it 'Mission of a Lost Soul' or 'Wayward Pawn' but I'll see how it plays out in the end. I am never certain of what to name the chapters until I have them written and am more or less satisfied with them. I haven't written enough of the other chapters to have an idea of what to name them yet, so... Anyway, Minato will be further entangled in the Uchiha clan and the politics in the village, thanks to his sensei. He'll also meet Jiraiya, but that'll be during the sixth or seventh chapter I have planned, so there is still a while before that meeting. Minato will not, under any circumtance, start to study seals before he meets Jiraiya. Yashino has no reason to teach him that, most likely doesn't know much about it either and they'll be preoccupied with more pressing matters. Please have patience with me, since this is an epic story. If I rush it I'll ruin it completly. Remember also, that this story is AU, and Minato might not turn out the same as he did in the original story. I myself am not certain of the end yet, and it is still far off anyway. For the moment he's an eight year old genin with rather messed up teacher and several eyes follow him in the shadows. Nothing at all to worry about=P


	10. Tell You What

Hmm, how to word this? I am wondering if someone would be willing to be a beta reader for this story. I am aware I could contact someone about it, but I don't feel comfortable with asking someone specific to do it. I am after all asking you to spend some of your time on this, and time is something valuable to most of us. My native languages are Norwegian, French and German, an odd mix I know, especially since I don't live in any of the nations in question. I don't know how these things works, but if you don't have any of those languages as your native language it's probably easier to spot the grammatical errors. I don't mind you being critical and opinionated; I'll actually appreciate it as long as it is relevant. If you are interested, feel you have the time and would like to do it please contact me.

* * *

"_The dogs reminded me that I still can't control my reflexes, and I was terrified I might hit you with something. I first thought the sounds the woman made when she left her room were you, so I didn't do anything…. Go to sleep Minato, I'll keep watch." _

_Minato didn't argue with him. He was pretty sure his sensei didn't want him to see him cry. _

* * *

9.

When you peel an onion you have to peel off several layers before you reach the core. When you do reach the core, it stings your eyes until they tears up.

The first thing you learn when you are a child and meet another child (not a sibling) is that the other child most likely doesn't agree with you. A younger sibling you can bully into agreeing; younger siblings are to be bullied by you and protected from being bullied by anyone else. It is simple. If you are a younger sibling, you can rant to your parents and guardians and your older sibling is ordered to agree with you. That too is simple.

An unfamiliar child, however, is a different matter. You might try the classical approach; beat the opponent. That is usually not a good idea. Parents and guardians get upset, and you are punished for the whole thing. Forcing your will on another is therefore quickly becoming something you have to be smart to do. Of course, you can be the big bad bully that beats the shit out of anyone disagreeing with you, but that is often counterproductive to what you want to achieve, and it is easily discovered and discouraged by adults. If you are smart you can rule the playground without anyone realizing it.

The first thing one need is allies or in the words of a child; friends. People you get remotely well along with. People you share your basic view on the world with. Details aren't so important; the main thing is that you share the same overall goal. Those people you can somewhat trust. You can trust them to help you achieve your common goals. Still rather simple, but if three children get together to build the largest sandcastle in the sandbox, their chances of success are larger than if they worked alone. The shape of the castle and the process of building it might be up for discussion, but the point is that they all agree on building it.

Within such a group of friends, you have to establish a certain hierarchy. There is always one child who in the end decides on the shape of the castle and the process or work. He or she is the one who are best at diplomacy. They are willing to let some of their plans be influenced and even changed a little to accommodate the view of his or her allies (friends) and in doing that letting other children believe they got their will through without actually letting them. They are the ones who are looked up to, because they are smart and strong, or one of the two, but usually a combination. Strong in a child's word meaning someone who are especially fast or good at climbing trees. Children are simple like that.

Say the children now understand the friend thing, and has that gotten down to a decent level. Cooperation is something they do, even if they don't know they are doing it. They just do, because they are friends. Allies, as it is. Of course, not everyone can be friends. There will always be groups, and that is where children learn what enemies are, or opposition, to use a less offensive term. They learn that some mean children will always come to ruin their sandcastle. So they have to retaliate by tearing down the mean children's tree hut. Now, this is where things get complicated, because adults are rarely pleased when the children fight.

Adults, for some unexplainable reason, always want everyone to get along and be friends. Adults don't like bloodied children, screaming and general havoc on the playground, so they tempt to settle the matter. The children are consequently punished and told not to do it again. As if. The children just learn that they'll have to keep their endeavors a secret from the adults. So that is when they start to understand the complicated yet basic workings of politics. The three children, close friends that know each other well and agrees on just about everything, more or less, teams up with children they can relate to. Someone who have the same basic understanding of how things should be, but maybe a different approach. They creates a larger group of friends, who in the end winds up with the same kind of leader as a smaller group of friends; the one who are best at manipulating others to believe they are getting what they want and are in one way or another 'awesome'. The thing is, with more people to please, larger compromises and sacrifices have to be made to continue the alliance. Friendship if you want.

So, the children learn to create larger entities to protect their interests and the adults believe some of the fighting have died down. In a way it has, now it is reduced to internal power struggles consisting of who can get most of his or her ideas through to the others. Close friends gang together and recruits others by different means. Bribing; 'You can play with my doll if you don't tell it was me', exchange of favors; 'I'll push you on the swing, if you help me with my sandcastle later,' and of course the classical guilt trip; 'The mean children hurt me! You have to help me, because you are my friend right?'.

Introduce the external enemy. The strange, invading children from somewhere outside. They disrupt the day to day byplay on the playground and the children already there can't accept that, so to protect their territory they all gang up on the newcomers. They have a larger goal than before, and are introduced to the concept of 'dealing with the devil'. Where the people with a very different view than themselves had been enemies, they are now 'friends' who help them get rid of the intruders. As long as there is a danger of someone taking their spot they will keep the truce, since that is basically what it is. You have to choose one evil over the other and you chose the smaller one. It is simple, and in a very basic way the internal politics of a Hidden Village was the same.

Like an onion there is layers upon layers of little close knitted groups, extended friends, leaders within the groups, shifting interest between the interested parties and of course, the deals with the devils. Peeling away the outer layer where all anyone would see is that the village wanted them to see, until the core of the village. The center of power. In a major hidden village that is the Kage, but not many people will ever know what kind of deals he makes in secret, how he manages to control all the outer layers of the village onion and gather all the power around him. Few know what kind of deals he has struck with the devil. The adults, the general populace that is, never see what the 'children' playing don't want them to see. If someone ever got to know, it wouldn't sting their eyes, no, it would kill them.

That was how Yashino one day decided to explain village politics to Minato. Personally Minato didn't know if he should be amused by the idea of the Hokage as the most competent manipulator, or be insulted since Yashino obviously chose the metaphor of a playground because he thought it was something Minato was familiar with. He was familiar with a playground, but it had been many years since he actually spent time there as a child. He didn't really remember it being like Yashino described, but he had never gotten to be a part of any group, so he would have to take it on face value. One thing was for certain; children were ruthless.

Minato hadn't been sure of what Yashino wanted Minato to understand, and he hadn't pressed it further. As far as Minato was aware, it really was just an explanation of how the village worked, but knowing his sensei it wasn't that easy. With him it was always something that wasn't said, something that simmered under the surface and never breached, but it was okay. Minato had known enough ninja to realize very few ever spoke of their pasts, at least not everything, and if something wasn't said it was better to leave it unsaid.

As far as missions went they hadn't had any similar the first one. They were C – ranked missions still, but not that kind of missions. They had brought supplies to the teams on border patrol, escorted a couple of merchants around Fire Country (a mission so boring Minato wondered if Yashino purposefully chose it to teach him to deal with spare time and talkative old men), gotten rid of a small band of bandits (where Yashino had acted as if they were going to hunt down an S – class criminal with that damned mirth dancing in his eyes at Minato's frustrations), escorted a diplomat from Sand to Konoha (the two guards with him kept shooting Minato dubious looks), spent four days as guards to one of the Daimyo's nephews (Yashino would have burned the brat to cinders if he could've gotten away with it), picked up mission reports from drop points around Fire Country (that was by far the most usual, seeing as Yashino liked them) and trained. Minato would without any doubt classify the training Yashino put him under as a mission in and of itself. If he had ever thought it would be an easy task to convert normal chakra strings into wind chakra strings, he was sorely mistaken. What was more frustrating was how Yashino was pushing him to complete them. It was as if there was some sort of deadline Minato wasn't aware of.

That was why it was so surprising to find that his sensei had pulled another gone – without – a – trace stunt like he sometimes did before the first C – ranked mission. This was by far the longest he'd been gone as well, Minato hadn't seen him for nearly two weeks. He had asked Akane if he'd been home, but she got rather bothered at the question and started to occupy herself with Obito to avoid it. He concluded she knew something but wasn't willing to let him know. He'd even sought out that other kid, Fugako and asked him, but upon hearing his clansman was missing he looked as surprised as Minato felt.

Minato hadn't worried about it for the first few days, because he'd been so focused on his training. Yashino had told him he wouldn't teach him anything new until he'd finished the wind chakra strings. He'd sounded uncharacteristically irritated and walked, or more like stalked, off while scowling about something. The next day he hadn't showed up for training, but Minato hadn't worried about it. He hadn't worried about it until a few days ago, when he had managed to create the first wind chakra strings. He been shocked when the chakra strings he trained with cut cleanly through the pole they were wrapped around. If it had been a human it would have been nothing but a parted body left of it. Shocked and a little scared, because this was not something he could use without killing his opponents and Yashino must have known that from the beginning.

Minato didn't know what to make of his sensei's apparent disappearance, but no one told him he had abandoned the village, so Yashino had to be around somewhere. Kinuto had laughed and said it was about time Yashino got a girlfriend. Minato gave up asking him after hearing that. He honestly didn't think his sensei would disappear for two weeks straight without seeing him for something like that.

Yashino's mysterious whereabouts aside, it didn't disturb Minato nearly as much as Kushina's new interest. He had no idea where she had gotten the idea from, but she wanted to be a swords master, or more accurately, swords mistress. If she ever met one of the seven swordsmen of the Mist he was sure they'd get along splendidly. The problem with this idea? She didn't know the first thing about swordsmanship, and neither did he. That was why he was in the library now, researching styles, like he had promised her he would while she was at the Academy. He had the books out, but it didn't really appeal to him and he wasn't reading them. For once he wondered if he should just tell her which books would be more useful and let her read them on her own. Not very helpful but it would teach her to work on her own instead of relying on him to help her. He was sure she'd get over it soon enough anyway.

He felt much better leaving the warm library. Running over the rooftops he wondered if he could get in some training before he met Inoichi and Kushina during their lunchtime. When he reached his apartment he noticed a figure in front of his door. Whoever it was was slumped over one of his knees, head buried in his arms and not moving as far as Minato could see. He was mildly relieved and mildly annoyed when he recognized his sensei. Obviously deep asleep. For some reason he had shifted his weapon pouch from his right thigh to his left. Minato raised one eyebrow upon seeing that, but shook his head reluctantly. Whatever Yashino was up to he wouldn't tell him until he was good and ready.

Minato silently approached him, poked his arm and waited for a reaction. He wouldn't be surprised to find a kunai at his throat, or to be pressed hard against the wall any moment, but he was surprised when there was no reaction whatsoever. He huffed and shook Yashino's shoulder forcefully enough to push him to the ground. The dark eyes flew open and blinked several times before they landed on Minato. The blond boy gazed somberly at him.

"Where have you been?" Minato asked and didn't feel sorry even when Yashino's eyes closed involuntarily and he let out a sleepy groan.

"Couldn't let me sleep, could you? What time is it?"

Minato huffed and stepped over the limp form of his sensei.

"You were sleeping in front of my door, sensei. If you were going to sleep you could at least go home. It isn't as if I wouldn't make it through another day without seeing you."

Minato nearly missed the smirk, but knew his sensei well enough by now to note those small things.

"So you are angry enough with me to be sarcastic. I almost expected you to punch me, but your words are acid enough."

Minato stared at him before he opened the door. Well, Yashino was certainly in a weird mood today, but he could deal with that. He wondered what he'd been doing but sighed as he knew he wouldn't get an answer. Why was it he always got the irresponsible teachers? If he ever became one he knew everything he wasn't going to do to his students. He supposed there was a sort of irony in that.

"Are you going to stay there?" he said and waited for Yashino to move. When he didn't he turned and rubbed his temples. This was quickly turning out to be one of the days he should have stayed in bed.

"What time is it?" Yashino repeated sleepily.

"Almost lunch," Minato finally conceded and sat down in the doorway. If his sensei wasn't going to move he could stay where he was. No reason to try to force him.

"…that late… I heard you finally finished the chakra strings. That's great. I don't know any other kid your age that'd be able to do that."

"Is that why you are here?" Minato asked a little insulted. He knew he hadn't made it was fast as Yashino wanted him to, but there was no reason to abandon him until he'd finished the technique. The least he could have done was to help him. That was after all what a sensei was for.

"Wha…? No, no, that isn't it. I'm sorry I've not been around. I got caught up in something and needed to finish it up. I really am sorry, Minato. I know I should have helped you."

"Caught up? You mean you had a mission?" Minato guessed, and when he didn't get an answer he knew he was right. If nothing else it explained his sensei's current lethargic behavior. He wondered if the other times his sensei had gone missing had the same reason behind them. And here he thought his sensei had quit ANBU.

"Something like that…. Minato, what do you say to learning some water techniques. I don't think I've thought you any of those yet."

Minato looked skeptically at him. He didn't seem awake enough to teach anything at all at the moment, least of all anything chakra consuming.

"Are you sure you shouldn't get some rest?" he voiced his concern and got a bemused glance in return.

"Worried about me? I'm touched, I really am, but I'll be fine. Besides, you _need_ to learn some of those," the last part was muttered and a little stressed, so Minato accepted the invitation wordlessly. If Yashino insisted he wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to learn new techniques. When Yashino rose Minato couldn't help but notice the small limp he had, and shook his head. He felt more and more certain his sensei should get some sleep and forget about training for the day. He didn't though.

The next weeks passed like that, and Minato started to get anxious when Yashino showed up at his door every morning at seven o'clock. It was at that time he was finished with his morning training, and usually showered and made breakfast but with Yashino it was impossible. He had to make something to grab in the hand and prepared to be soaked for most of the day. The word 'again' quickly became his most hated word.

The Water Release: Water Clone Technique and Water Release: Violent Water Wave was both C – ranked and not really a problem. It took him some time to control them properly, but for reasons he kept to himself, Yashino wasn't satisfied with that. The techniques he really wanted Minato to master were two B – ranked water elemental techniques, and that kept Minato occupied. He first thought he was finished with the hellish technique training when he had Water Release: Snake's Mouth down, but no, Yashino smiled evilly and told him to form the seals Tiger – Snake – Tiger for the Water Release: Water Encampment Wall Technique. Minato soon wished his sensei could disappear again.

He was lying wet and sore on the ground one day Yashino sat down beside him. He was smoking but he looked thoughtful and stared keenly at Minato. The blond glared back at him, annoyed with the scrutiny and constantly being beaten into the ground. He hated being a child but he was getting better, he could tell that himself. He knew he was better than any other child his age. The wind chakra strings were his secret trump card and Yashino had instructed him not to let anyone know about it before he had to. He would get to the level he was at before he was sent to the past, and he would get there as soon as he could, but currently he wasn't there. Though, fighting an ANBU member who said he wasn't but had to be wasn't really fair.

"Minato…. How long have I trained you?" Yashino asked after a while. Minato blinked. His sensei got weirder and weirder.

"A year and a half? I'm almost nine so that should be about right," he answered and another stretch of silence lingered between them.

"Hmm. Say, have you heard about the truce between the Leaf and Mist?"

That caught Minato's attention. He had heard nothing about that. As far as he knew, there was no truce between them in the future. Mist had been too caught up in their problems to care what other villages did, and as long as they were they weren't interesting for others. Konoha had just kept an eye on them from time to time and not bothered outside of that, but in this time Mist was still a major power and not ravaged by their civil war and genocide.

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"Just wondering. Konoha is going to send genin to the chuunin exam held there in a month and a half. It is to show trust and good will on our part," Yashino said, and Minato couldn't help but sit up abruptly.

"You…. You want me to partake in those exams?" he asked, but it wasn't really a question. He knew the answer. He had after all been drilled in water techniques for the past weeks until he dropped. Then he frowned. Their first C – ranked mission came back to him and he directed sharp and accusing eyes on his teacher.

"What is the real reason?" he asked and Yashino laughed. He laughed! Minato was willing to bet he had been planning this for the longest time. Onions indeed.

"Why do you think there is some more to it?" the Uchiha asked smirking around the cigarette.

"Because of our first mission. Assassinations are never C – ranked. They are higher rated, because C – ranked missions have a low chance of violence involved. You said it yourself that the slave shipments went along the coast to Water, but you didn't know what the Mizukage is up to. And…. You never quit ANBU. You want everyone to think you did, but you didn't. I am your cover."

Yashino smiled sadly at him and stumped the cigarette. He always did that when he was getting serious.

"I wanted to quit, you know. I thought I was about to go crazy, and I kept seeing it whenever I closed my eyes."

He didn't say what 'it' was, but Minato knew he was referring to his 'last' mission. If nothing else, Minato felt sure that was true. No one could fake the emotions Yashino had showed when he told about it.

"So why didn't you?" Minato asked curiously.

"The Hokage needed someone who could work individually and secretly to uncover what it is the Mist or Water country is doing with all the slaves. No one ever buys so many slaves for the fun of it; there is always something they are needed for. When I said I wanted to get out of ANBU and preferably never have to work with assassination again since I just couldn't stomach it any longer he offered me a deal. I would do this last long term mission for ANBU and train a student while I was at it. I didn't know he was talking about you at the time; that was the peace offering from him to the clan. I'm their pet project after all…."

"Pet… project?" Minato questioned, but Yashino wasn't paying attention to him. Minato was about to ask again, but thought better of it. Some things were better left alone.

"You were so angry at that mission…. why?" he asked instead, and this time Yashino frowned.

"I was disappointed. I had hoped we'd get the answers from the trading companies, but they knew nothing. There were no papers on what the slaves are going to be used for, only that all of them were younger than fourteen. That was all. I had hoped I could finish the mission and wash my hands of ANBU and the whole sordid deal, but it wasn't to be I guess."

Minato could understand that. He would have been angry as well. Yashino had been so happy when they left for the mission because he thought he'd finally get out of it all, and having his hopes crushed later angered him.

"You are right when you say you are my cover you know, in more ways than one. Infiltrating any of the major Hidden Villages is a process that might take years to do properly, and we don't have years. To enter one of them would mean certain death if you don't have a good reason for being there, and that is rare. Even the meetings between the Hokage and the Mizukage took place in a neutral country. The exam is an opening we can't let go of. That is why I have been so hard on you lately and forced you to finish those strings. I know I am using you for this, but that doesn't mean I am about to let you get killed. Whatever alibi you might be you are still my student and…. I care for you. If I could help it I wouldn't have let you get dragged into this. Children really shouldn't have to deal with this. I am truly sorry," Yashino said sadly.

Minato didn't know what came over him when he flung himself at Yashino and hugged him. He just had a feeling his sensei really could use a hug, and for some reason he wanted to offer whatever comfort he could. He didn't expect to be hugged back, but didn't protest as Yashino wrapped his arms around him and rested his head against his small shoulder.

"You are too forgiving, Minato," he muttered and Minato snorted before he wriggled loose form the hug to look his sensei in the eyes.

"And you are too informative, sensei. You shouldn't have told me all that, you know."

Yashino closed his eyes with a small smile.

"Maybe not, but at least this way you know. I'll feel better if you know. If anything should happen…. You'll understand. Our lives are like butterflies after all. Beautiful, but oh so short and easily destroyed."

Minato tilted his head and looked long at him and wondered if he was planning on doing something stupid that would get him killed. Some of his thoughts must have shown on his face, because Yashino ruffled his hair gently and smiled reassuringly.

"I am planning on seeing you surpass me and my clan, Minato. That hasn't changed in the least and I meant it when I said I wanted to train an exceptional ninja. You are do you know that? Some day, I am sure you'll be the best and others will look up to you like they look at the stars. Something so bright on the dark sky it'll shine like a beacon and yet be unreachable."

He couldn't help the blush he got, but smiled widely all the same. He almost felt like hugging Yashino all over again. Still….

"You'll be careful, right?" he questioned and the Uchiha raised an eyebrow in mock exasperation.

"You sound like my mother, Minato. I've survived a war while serving in ANBU; I think I'm able to take care of myself."

"Fine, fine, but you better celebrate with me when we get back," Minato huffed indignantly.

"Oh?"

"Because I plan on passing that exam, no matter what, so you have to succeed in getting the information on your first try. You won't get a second chance with me as an alibi," he said confidently and grinned when he coaxed a laugh from his sensei. Yashino wasn't Kakashi, or Jiraiya, or any of the other people he had cared for in another life, but he was a friend and a teacher, and someone he'd mourn if he died. Especially if he died because he was careless, or worse, wanted to get killed.

"I'll tell you what Minato, when we get back I'll give you a gift regardless of whatever your results in the exam might be. I think you have deserved it just from enduring me."

Yashino rose from where he'd been sitting and rummaged for his cigarettes, and not for the first time Minato wondered if he ever remembered where he put them. It also signaled the end of their little heart to heart.

"Hey, sensei, people are convinced you've got a girlfriend, so you need to be seen with a girl soon, or people are going to start thinking weird stuff since you are hiding your relationship."

The spluttering following the statement made Minato's day.

* * *

This is a shorter chapter again. I'm posting it so soon after the other because I just learned my father's mother is coming. My …. Grandmother I suppose I'll have to call her. She wasn't here for the celebration of his birthday (she wasn't informed of it) but obviously decided to delight us with a visit regardless. As you might understand the two of us don't get along very well, as a matter of fact, the only person I have ever seen her get along with is the older of my two younger brothers, and he is studying to be a priest. That might tell you what kind of person she is. Usually I would have stayed as far away as humanly possible, but I am still coped up on crutches and advised to move as little as possible due to the severity of my injuries. If I am not much mistaken, I'll be spending the next week or two listening to all the reasons I'm going to burn in hell if I don't change my ways at once (charming old lady, isn't she?) So, this is both to just get the chapter posted and also to apology since I won't be able to write much while she is around. I am not sure how long she'll stay, but hopefully no more than two weeks, so if you drop by in another two – three weeks, I've most likely posted another chapter. Maybe=/


	11. Into the Water

"_Hey, sensei, people are convinced you've got a girlfriend, so you need to be seen with a girl soon, or people are going to start thinking weird stuff since you are hiding your relationship." _

_The spluttering following the statement made Minato's day. _

10.

The day they departed for Water Country and Mist was as clear as any in Fire Country. The sun was rising in the eastern sky and colored the sky a bright pink and orange. Minato was the first at the village gates. He had gotten used to being the first there whenever he and Yashino met; he was up at ungodly hours anyway. The two guards gave him half awake, curious looks, but other than that they kept their silence. They had heard of the little blond prodigy the Uchiha clan had laid claims on. It wouldn't be a good idea to do something that would get their attention the wrong sort of way.

Minato sat down by the building the guards used and watched with a bemused expression as the groggy guards dealt with wide awake and all too happy merchants ready to start bantering even before they were inside the village walls. Some people sure were early risers.

He hadn't waited long before he heard the tell tale sound of a soft landing. He glanced around and smiled as he saw an Inuzuka. The boy had an almost tear like triangle under each eye and his puppy was perched on his shoulder. The golden-brown animalistic eyes combined with the fangs that were visible as he yawned widely were common traits of his clan, but the neatly arranged hair was not. It was the first time Minato ever saw an Inuzuka with some semblance of order to his hair…. Ah, Kiba's sister had had it in a ponytail if Minato remembered correctly. The boy blinked at him, once, twice, and three times before he shrugged and walked over.

"Hey, are you that blond kid sensei was talking about?" he asked bluntly. Minato was unsure of how to answer him. There were other blonds in Konoha, and he wasn't scheduled for any missions with anyone as far as he knew. He was here to leave for the chuunin exam in Mist. Well, Yashino often forgot to let him in on the details, so it was possible that the Inuzuka was talking about him and that they were teaming up for the exams. Though, it would have been nice to know beforehand.

"I'm not sure; I'm waiting for my own sensei. My name is Namikaze Minato," he said, and wondered if the boy was going to challenge him when he saw the gleam of recognition in the other boy's eyes.

"Then you _are_ that kid. Sensei said we'd be meeting up with you and your sensei here. Who is he, by the way?"

Minato frowned in irritation.

"First of, I'm no 'kid', the name is Minato so use it; it shouldn't be hard to remember. Secondly, my sensei is Uchiha Yashino."

The boy growled and wrinkled his nose.

"Damn! Not another Uchiha! Do they breed like rabbits? They're everywhere: on my team, on the streets, geez! I can't get away from them!"

Before he could go into a fully blown rant, a stone hit him squarely in the back of his head. Minato looked past the downed boy to the girl who had thrown the rock. She was ruffling her hair with an air of impatience to her.

"Don't mind the rabid dog. He's always going off on a tangent," she said and met Minato's eyes.

"I'm Kimiko, and the idiot is Inuzuka Isanu. I think you know our last teammate, Uchiha Fugako; he's mentioned you. He said your sensei is one of his relatives."

Minato nodded. At least he knew their names now. He couldn't say he had heard of Kimiko and Isanu, but he had met Fugako.

"Mm, we've met a few times. I think sensei's mother was his great grandfather's cousin. They are nice people," he added to stop any rant the Inuzuka might have stored up. The boy snorted and glared at his female companion.

"What was that for? Did you have to hit me like that?"

"We are leaving for an exam. Try, _try_, to get along for that time, eh? The two of you are at each other's throats constantly! You better get along long enough for us to survive! I refuse to die because the two of you started another row in the middle of nowhere."

"They sound energetic this early in the morning," a low voice spoke close to Minato, and he looked around to see the large jacket and sunglasses covering Aburame Shibi. Another boy stood behind him, silent and stern. A giggle alerted them to the proximity of another small group.

Yashino had his hands in his pockets, eyes half lidded from sleep and his hair in incredible disarray. It wasn't pulled up in a ponytail, and fell down past his shoulders to his waist. In front of him stood Fugako, as serious as always, but his expression was clearly impatient. Whether he felt that way due to his teammates' antics or his relative's half asleep state was unclear.

"Please excuse our tardiness. Someone decided that today was a great day to sleep in," he said snidely and a little stiffly. It was probably Yashino he was irritated with, everything considered. The girl beside him gave into a wave of pure laughter, even as she tried to suppress it her body shook with it. Minato recognized her from his graduation; she was the Uchiha girl on Shibi's team. She had the fan on her outfit too, stitched on the front of her skirt.

Minato looked at his sensei and shook his head in amusement before he rummaged in his pockets for pocky and handed it to Yashino wordlessly. The man stared at it for a moment, as if unsure of what to do with it and Minato rolled his eyes.

"Take off the wrapping and eat it, sensei. It's a sweet."

"I see everyone is here! Brilliant! Let's leave for Mist and the chuunin exam- no time to waste!" a loud voice yelled and all of them jumped at the sound of it. Minato had seen the woman before, when she picked up her team, Shibi's team, and some of his suspicion concerning her was confirmed when her team scrambled to follow her orders. Minato fell into step beside Yashino, who seemed somewhat more awake now. He was trying to run a hand through his hair, with little success.

"What have you been up to?" Minato asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Babies cry at night," Yashino answered, as if that was something he had never realized before. Minato snickered at his misfortune. He waited for a moment, until he was sure the jonin with the large staff was too occupied with her students to pay attention to them.

"Who's the loud one?" he asked and Yashino directed his eyes at her and narrowed them.

"She's Misuri. I don't know her last name. We worked together a few times when we were younger, but I've hardly seen her since I entered ANBU. From what I know of her, her primal fighting style revolves around that staff of hers. Close combat in other words."

"Does she know….?"

Minato wasn't sure how much he could say when the others could listen in on their conversation, so he opted to say as little as possible.

"She's smart enough to know something is off. You might have noticed that we are a sensei short? Well, the Hokage didn't want to send more than two jonin, seeing as there are only seven genin. The Mist will be watching us close enough without us feeding their suspicion. Normally the sensei of the team, not the single student, would be going, but in this situation…. Well she knows something isn't right, but she won't comment on it and neither should you."

Minato didn't respond to that, and they continued to travel a bit behind the others. He told himself he was prepared for anything the Mist could throw at them, but that didn't mean he wasn't nervous. He had never been in the Mist, and barely in Water Country. He had heard of it, of course- it was one of the Elemental countries, and their hidden village one of the five large ones, but they had little influence in the future. This time was different. They were a power to be reckoned with, planning something strange and successfully keeping anyone from entering where they didn't want them.

It lay to the northwest; a series of islands out of the coast and a piece of the mainland. Before they annexed Whirlpool they hadn't really had much mainland. That was part of why they had overrun the smaller and (compared to them) insignificant country to begin with. From what Minato had heard, their village lay on one of the smaller islands and was impossible to enter without being seen. Like any other major village.

The mainland of Water country proved to be one large swamp. Minato could fully understand why the country wanted more land considering what they had before the war could only be called 'land' in the most generous meaning of the word. Large mangrove trees stood overgrown with moss and lichen, and some green substance none of the Konoha ninja were able to recognize. It made the trees slimy and slippery. One wrong move on their part, and they could easily lose their footing and fall into the murky waters under them. None of the Konoha ninja wanted to think of that fate. Who knew what kind of creepy creatures might live down there? Leaches were probably the least of their worries. It also made traveling through the trees tiresome and tedious. Of course, they could have run on the water, but then they would risk whatever lived in the brown and disgusting waters.

They were pausing on a particular large branch on their fifth day of traveling, and Minato was watching the swirling fog that seemed to constantly linger around the tree trunks, just above the water. He wondered how anything could grow in this humid, if not downright wet, environment. The earth had to be soaked, and even moss required some light. He was unwilling to classify the dim daylight under these trees as 'light'. It was a poor excuse compared to the bright sunlight of Fire Country.

"Hey, sensei, is this place always so glum?" he asked and Yashino turned from where he was silently talking to Misuri sensei. She had insisted on everyone calling her that, but Yashino refused. He called her Misuri and dealt with her mock scolding whenever she was up to teasing him. He sometimes threw in a senpai, but Minato had a feeling it was sarcastic.

"If you mean it is colorless, unwelcoming, wet and generally an ordeal to get through, then yes, it is always like this. The islands are better, and most of the people live there. This is just…. Oh, honestly I don't care or know why Water Country keeps this remote area of bog at all. Pride I guess."

Minato could have sworn he heard a muttered;"…good thing it isn't winter," and decided that his sensei really didn't like Water. He couldn't say he liked it any better. It really was a piece of useless land. They had even decided not to try to drink the water under them, especially when Mikoto had gone down to get some and reported back that the water was sluggish and had bits and pieces of small _things _in it. No one asked her what she meant by that.

Minato grimaced and listened to the low buzzing from Shibi's bugs. They, at least, seemed to enjoy this new environment. What had them so excited he didn't dare to ask, and when the Aburame's teammates gave him funny looks Shibi shrugged and said his bugs were enjoying themselves. The humid air must appeal to them or something. Minato looked at one of them, currently creeping slowly over his knee. It was black and glossy, with small antennas sticking up where he supposed its head was.

"Your chakra reserves have improved since last we met," Shibi said stoically, as if commenting on the weather. It was an improvement from one syllable words however.

"Mmm, sensei has seen to that," Minato agreed. Well, that and he wasn't a seven year old anymore. As his body grew, his chakra reserves grew.

"Your teacher has quite the reputation."

"How so? I haven't heard much about him except from what his family has told me," Minato said curiously, and what he had told him himself, but Shibi didn't need to know that. He wondered what the Aburame wanted in return for this information, but didn't ask. He supposed he would find out when the time came. The clan was hardly an unfair one, and they were always logical. You could trust an Aburame to keep the equations equal.

"An ANBU at fifteen, and one of the Uchiha who never joined the police force. They are rare."

"He has never had the need to join the police force since he was part of ANBU," Minato said. It didn't matter to him how rare it was, he just knew it happened. Yashino had said there were more of them, but not many. There were some Uchiha who were teachers as well, and some were ordinary ninja among all the others. If people were so damn curious about the Uchiha, then they could simply ask.

"Perhaps not," Shibi allowed, and dropped the conversation. Minato clenched and unclenched his hands while trying to ignore the feeling of damp clothes. The humid air penetrated their cloaks and was doing a good job of discomforting them further. His hair hung limp around his face, and he had the constant urge to towel himself dry. He didn't like this place the least bit, he decided. If he had a say in the matter, the only time he would ever return here was when he was heading home from this exam. The land of Water was aptly named, and he hadn't seen the worst of it yet.

The harbor, or the "town" where the harbor was situated, wasn't really something any of the Konoha ninja would call a town. It was a small huddle of wooden huts with dirt roads that were more water than dirt, and currently overcrowded due to the chuunin exams. Minato gritted his teeth and glared at Yashino.

"Sensei, this country sucks!" he exclaimed with all the sincerity he could muster.

"I'm inclined to agree," Shibi's muffled voice came from behind his high collar, and Fugako snorted.

"This place can hardly be considered civilized," the Uchiha drawled and scowled at the muddy road. At once a thick staff whacked him atop of his head and he whirled around to glare at Misuri sensei while rubbing a new sore spot at the back of his head. Misuri had taken it upon herself to literally beat humility into him. So far it worked great while she was in the vicinity.

"Be nice, child," she warned with a deceptive friendly smile. The Uchiha straightened at once and nearly saluted the woman. It hadn't taken long before he had learned not to anger her. If that meant swallowing his pride, then so be it. Yashino chuckled and smirked when the younger boy gave him a sour glare.

The small group of Konoha ninja quickly found their way to the harbor, where they stood mostly by themselves. They could see groups from the other major villages standing apart from each other. Some of them, like the Sand ninja, openly glared daggers at them. They had lost the recently ended war so it was understandable, but it didn't settle the genins' nerves any. Minato scanned the other groups, and found Cloud, which had been allied with Sand, and Rock, who like Mist and Konoha had fought their own war and only allied with lesser villages. For the first time he felt the pressure of the forehead protector he wore. This wasn't a fight on his home turf. This wasn't somewhere he'd have plenty of allies surrounding him to help him out of he needed it. This was a hostile environment with unknown enemies and grudges and wounds from a war that hadn't had time to heal. Oh yes, this certainly was what he considered the worst possible exam.

"Do you know how they are going to test us?" he asked quietly, but didn't take his eyes from the other groups. Yashino hummed thoughtfully.

"No one ever knows how a village will test the examinees. During a war each village will promote their genin after seeing them perform in the field, but during peacetime it's different. We need to make a show of power and strength, and also a show of trust. That is the reasons why villages will allow unfamiliar ninja into the heart of their territory and at the same time why villages will risk sending their genin. Some might actually say it is safer for the genin to be promoted during a war than during an arranged exam like this one…"

"But…" Minato prompted and Yashino smiled crookedly.

"Mist is a very narrow minded country. They have a reputation for turning out vicious, not to mention malicious, ninja with little to no concern for teamwork or friendships. That is why we can enter genin who aren't teamed up in this exam. You are all entering as sole individuals, but nothing prevents you from helping each other during the exam. It would probably be wise to keep close."

"I see…. Do you think they will test us individually?"

"It is likely."

Their conversation died down as the many people started to move towards the shore. Several boats had arrived, steered by Mist ninja. Minato didn't know that they were ninja until they were ushered into one of the boats. When he passed the boatman he could make out the glistening forehead protector in the dense mist. It had become heavier as the day had proceeded, and he wondered if it was a technique which caused it, or if it was natural. He turned to ask his sensei, but stilled as all he could see properly in the grey fog was the red eyes of the Uchiha's bloodline. All three of them had activated the Sharingan when they started to move, and looked suspiciously around themselves. He knew his sensei had tree tomoes in his eyes, but couldn't be sure of who was who of the other two. They both had two tomoes in their eyes.

He turned when he heard the boatman make a half strangled sound, and saw the man staring intently at the three sets of red eyes suddenly watching him. Minato didn't blame him. He would have watched any foreigners with a bloodline like that intently as well, especially since it was really unnerving how those red eyes stood out in the grey mist. He could hear the smirk in Yashino's voice when he spoke.

"The mist is natural. There is no chakra in it, but I we are heading for an area covered with chakra induced mist. If I am not mistaken, that's our destination. We'll cross into the area in a few minutes, so I suggest all of you are ready in case you'll react to the large amounts of chakra around you," he said, mainly for Shibi's benefit, but also the Inuzuka who would sense the large amounts of chakra thanks to the bond with his canine partner.

The Mist village had no walls surrounding it. Instead it had a large harbor going from one end of the village to the other, and all the houses stuck up from the flat sea like a sudden dark silhouette in the white fog. The village was built on poles between a series of tiny, stark islands and rocks. Hidden deep within the misty sea somewhere in Water country it was protected by not being seen. Even if someone knew where it was, it wasn't somewhere you could go unnoticed. Minato was ready to bet the chakra induced mist alerted the right people if someone tried to sneak into the village.

When they landed they were immediately attended to by another mist ninja, this time a chunin, who led them up streets illuminated by an orange light penetrating the mist. It was still somewhat hard to see what was going on around them, but they could see shapes and movements of ninja and civilians alike. It was easy to make out the difference. A ninja moved differently, more fluid, while the civilians would look like newly born deer in comparison: staggering around and not entirely sure where all their limbs were.

"This place is even gloomier than the swamp," Isuna commented and looked around with trepidation. His scent told him most of what he needed to know, and what he couldn't pick up his dog would, but being mostly bereft of his eyesight didn't in any way reassure him. Shibi hummed in agreement.

"My bugs do not like the mist. All the chakra in it confuses them," he told them in a low voice. Minato raised an eyebrow at that information. If that was the case, this certainly was a place where the odds were stacked against the Aburame. He wondered if the mist annoyed the Uchihas too, and glanced up at Yashino. He wasn't commenting on anything, just looking around with a nonchalant air to him, but Minato could see the slightly calculating look in his eyes. He felt sure Yashino was mentally mapping out the village while trying to figure out where it was possible to find the information he was searching for.

They were led to a hotel which, to their great relief had warm water and served proper meals as opposed to the rations they had had to live on for the past week and a half. It had been impossible to build a campfire in the large trees they had made camp in, and to make camp on the ground was out of question. None of them felt like sleeping in knee high water. Minato wasn't too surprised upon finding that all the dishes they served included some kind of fish. Really, where would they keep livestock in this country of water and well, water?

They were allowed to walk around the village, but as soon as they stepped out of the hotel they almost felt the eyes upon them. Minato looked around, but he couldn't see anyone.

"Hunter nin, the Mist's equivalent to our ANBU," Misuri explained with a short glance at Yashino.

"They're watching us?" Mikoto asked perturbed and Minato chuckled at her affronted tone.

"They aren't so much watching us as they are watching you, I think, or perhaps only sensei. The fan of your clan is almost as renowned as your eyes and where one is the other follow. They are probably afraid you might try something, copy techniques, spy or whatnot."

"I'm not about to do tricks for their entertainment so would you mind moving?" Isuna growled and poked his teammate with a finger. Fugako glared, but didn't say anything and wordlessly started to walk down the street. Mikoto sighed and shook her head.

"Those two…. When are they going to get along? Seriously, they are teammates," she complained and Minato was tempted to agree with her. If the spats between Isuna and Fugako were anything like he once had with Sasuke, than he started to understand why Kakashi tried to block them out by reading his book. He was contemplating getting his own distraction. Perhaps if he trained hard enough on it he'd be able to live in his own little bubble.

They walked around until they found where to meet the next day, and Minato felt… if not troubled then a little thoughtful of the place. It looked like any other part of the Mist village, only separated from the rest by a tall fence. From what they could see there were houses, streets and small alleys. The mist was thick and swirled in a lazy manner up from the sea under the platforms the village was built on. They couldn't see anything move in there, and they couldn't see more than a few meters, but it was enough to know where they were supposed to meet.

When they left they saw other teams doing the same, eyeing the stage of their exam with trepidation and excitement.

"What do you think we'll be doing in there?" Mikoto asked enthusiastically.

"Who knows? Every exam is different. If they were all the same it would be pointless. The genin would know what to expect and the teachers would train their genin to pass the exams and neglect other important skills. By differencing the exams they are ensuring the quality of the potential chunin in every country," Misuri explained before she frowned.

"It also simulates a war situation very well. You never know what to expect in a war and a simple mission can turn out to be far more in the end. When you enter this exam, all you will know is your objective, passing, but you will not know how to get there and what to do to get there. Since we have just finished a war it is unlikely any will break out again soon, but the truth still remains. We cannot predict the future, and the peace between the countries is…. delicate at best."

"If or when a new war breaks out, it won't be us fighting it, but you guys. You are the ones who will be the backbone of the village in the years to come. It might not be for years yet, but some day the uneasiness of our world will be the cause of a new war," Yashino finished for her. Minato was silent, knowing from the history he learned in his future life that Yashino was right. He didn't like being reminded that he had lived before. He could easily forget that past and just live this life. It was so simple to get lost in his new life, to forget and live for the present and not the omnipresent future. Deep down he knew he would have to change what happened, that whatever he did he had already changed things, but he had yet to see the results of what he had done by just existing in this time.

"We should go back and sleep," he said slowly, with one last glance at the grey fence separating them from the exam area. The foreboding mist swirled around his feet as they started to track back to the hotel and one last night of sleep before they were tossed into something they would never forget and cause them nightmares in years to come.

* * *

Hey. New chapter! My sister is occupying my grandmother, who's also spending time in the church now that it is Easter. So to everyone who celebrate Easter: happy Easter. What was I going to say here again? yeah, that was it, I've been to hospital and rebroken my leg bone. When I broke it I nearly snapped it in two or something like that, and apparently it didnt grow like it was supposed to, so they rebroke it and put it back like with some metal thingy there to make it grow properly. Eh, something like that. Lucky me have my body full of painkillers and stuff so it is a bit like being drunk. I am rambling and awake at an ungodly hour unable to sleep because... I don't know why, but I'm awake and still rambling. What I was going to do was to thank Raeigh for beta reading the chapters from now on. Thank you=) Now I am going to quit writing this authors note so I don't put down something I shouldn't - and good luck chasing the Easter bunny!


	12. Bloody Mist

"_We should go back and sleep," he said slowly, with one last glance at the grey fence separating them from the exam area. The foreboding mist swirled around his feet as they started to track back to the hotel and one last night of sleep before they were tossed into something they would never forget and cause them nightmares in years to come. _

* * *

11.

Minato learned that dawn in Mist was about as inviting as eating worms. The ever present fog was as thick as porridge, and if that wasn't unsettling enough, the rising sun, because there was one behind all that grey, colored the entire sky a luminous red. Like mist of blood. Bloody Mist. Minato had heard that less than endearing endearment before, but this time he wondered if the name came from this phenomenon.

They had been unceremoniously divided into groups of five to eight genin and ushered off to different gates without as much as a word of explanation. Not before they reached the gate they were assigned. There they had been told to gather five forehead protectors, not counting their own, by any means necessary and let into the secluded part of the Mist village. Needless to say, the fighting had started right away. Large areas of the wooden platform the houses were built on had been crushed by different techniques, and Minato found that despite the humid air the wood would still burn.

He was worried for his friends and anxious because something wasn't measuring up with the whole test. It was too easy. Of course, capturing the forehead protectors wasn't by any means an easy feat, seeing as any ninja placed their pride and identity as ninja in it, but it was doable. All you had to do was knock out the opponent and steal the target. Not at all difficult to understand or do. It was a simple, down to earth fight and anyone could do it. It was everyone against each other, and that made it even easier.

That said, Minato knew there were those who didn't just knock out their opponents but killed them instead. He tried not to wound them too much, but he knew he might have to if he met one of those who insisted on killing. He had come over a few bodies when he looked for somewhere to spend the night, and he still felt grossed out. They were only children, ten to twelve year old children, and forgetting for once that he was younger than them in this body he felt sorry for them and prayed silently for their souls. He didn't pity them; he felt for them because of everything they never got to know, but he knew that they had chosen this path themselves. Mostly. If they were from a clan they had been raised to be ninja, but that would make them even more prepared for their future lifestyle.

Minato had already gotten his forehead protectors. Since he was so young others thought him an easy target and all of them had gotten a nasty surprise. He wasn't above catching them in a genjutsu like the Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique. It was a D – ranked genjutsu, but very effective against unsuspecting victims who already were riled up and nervous from the whole situation they were in. Usually it knocked them out, but some had managed to dispel it, forcing Minato to fight them. He still didn't really do close combat, and kept his distance. It had the added benefit of keeping him more or less unscathed. He'd gotten some scratches when he had faced a Grass kunoichi who used senbons, but the needles didn't do much damage as long as he made sure they didn't hit any vital spots. All they did was making his skin sore and irritable. Luckily they hadn't been poisoned. He also had a small limp from a completely moronic Cloud genin who aimed to kick his knee and hit his leg instead. Hard enough to break his skin and give him a large, aching bruise. Minato was quite annoyed with that one.

He hadn't met any of the other Konoha genin yet, but among the one hundred or so genin participating it would be hard to find them without a trait like the destruction bugs or the nose of an Inuzuka dog.

Quickly making his way through the window of one abandoned house he wondered if it was safe to settle there for the night. The test would last for twenty – four hours. The jonin at the gate had only told them what to do, and not given them any further instructions. She had been rather abrupt in her briefing, not bothering with their questions and told them to do as told and if they had problems to suck it up. They were ninja after all, not little children.

Minato would have been insulted by her blatant disregard, but didn't say anything. He understood that the tension between the countries was high, and just after a war there were plenty of old wounds which festered and grudges which weren't forgotten. He'd been lucky not to run into someone intent on killing him just because he had a leaf insignia on his forehead protector, so he counted his blessings and hoped his luck would hold until the entire thing was over and done with.

The room he entered was small and naked, like the rest of the houses he had searched through. It was bereft of any and all furniture or utensils. He silently snuck deeper into the house, and made sure to make his steps as light and soundless as possible. The last time he had entered one of the houses he hadn't been the only one there, and both the Waterfall ninja and he had been utterly confused and shocked when they noticed the other. Minato hadn't waited for the other boy to do anything; he had acted on reflex and knocked him out cold with a kunai shaft to the temple as fast as he could and left after taking the forehead protector. He had a few too many, but he didn't see anything wrong in reducing the competition a little. This time the house was empty, and he choose to stay in the room he assumed had been the kitchen. It didn't have windows, and only one door, so if anyone wanted to enter the room, they either had to blow away the walls or go through the door. That suited him just fine.

He was dozing by the time he heard the first sounds of something wrong. He didn't know it was wrong at first; it was just the faint sound of a scream, nothing he hadn't heard before during the exam. He could feel chakra all around him, but his ability to sense chakra was dulled by the amount which was constantly producing the damnable mist in the air. He sat up a little, peering through the darkness of the room and shifted to crouch on the ground instead of leaning against the wall. The floor shook under his hands. It was a minute trembling. He wouldn't have felt it if it wasn't for his bare skin against the smooth wood. A moment later the wall behind him started to crack and break.

He didn't wait to find out if it was going to give in or not. He hurried for a room with a window and was met with the sound of running feet. He reacted as he had with the Waterfall ninja, but this time they were too close, and he didn't have the time to twist the kunai around. Minato felt warm blood splash his hand as he drove the kunai into the other person as hard as he could, and a body suddenly fell against him, thrashing as the girl died. Minato stood with her in his arms for a moment, completely at a loss for what just happened and stared blindly at her. She had long, pale blue hair and a Mist forehead protector, but the way she had stormed at him wasn't like the silent and careful assassins he had learned the Mist ninja were. It was almost desperate. The blood cooled on his hand, and the girl slipped from his arms and slid down his body before it fell to the floor. The kunai stood firmly in her temple. There wasn't a lot of blood, he noted absently. Only what had seeped out the moment he struck her. Maybe because he hadn't removed the kunai from the wound. He stood frozen with a dazed gaze at the girl, who couldn't have been more than fourteen, and didn't react to the sudden movement of the ground before the walls around him started to shake for real.

As shocked as he was, he had been trained to survive, and that training kicked in as he spun around and made few hand seals. Wind Release: Great Breakthrough hit the wall like a sledge and smashed it apart. Falling debris littered the street, which to Minato's horror was filled with people fighting. How he'd been able to miss it was beyond him, but few were using any chakra. It was like watching a pack of rabid dogs trying to tear each other apart with teeth and claws. They didn't even stop when the wind technique destroyed the wall and send the entire side of the house raining over them.

He leapt on to the roof of another house, but what he saw didn't reassure him. In every street were people fighting an all out bloody brawl. There were flashes of chakra, but from what he could see there were too many people attacking at once for anyone to form proper hand seals, and they were forced to use taijutsu and weapons only. Minato stared at the sight before him, horrified that something like this could happen and almost didn't see the shuriken thrown at him. It was a clumsy throw, as if the attacker wasn't entirely sure what to make of the throwing stars and Minato deflected them accordingly.

On the roof opposite him stood a boy, a teen really, with orange red hair and wide, slightly dilated eyes. Minato could see madness in them, and was pretty sure the teenager was more than a little warped. His body was shaking, Minato noted, and tilted his head a little, staring at the oddly wide eyes. It could be a drug, he guessed, but if it was it certainly did nothing for the users fighting abilities. Besides making them utterly fearless, perhaps…. This wasn't something he had expected, and he didn't like the situation either. He pulled out a few shurikens and dropped into a stance, waiting tensely for the teenager to make the first move. He was vaguely aware of the people fighting under them, but facing someone who obviously had no regards of his own life demanded more of his attention than he liked.

The strange boy didn't seem fazed with the shurikens, in fact he got a crazed grin and an equally mad glint in his eyes. Minato subtly attached the chakra strings to the shurikens and stiffened as his enemy, since this clearly was a crazy enemy set on killing him or die trying, slowly stepped closer.

"I'll kill you, I will and then I can survive," the boy said with an undertone of hysteria in his voice. Minato tightened his grip on the shurikens. This was turning out to be more and more troublesome, loath as he was to use that word.

"What do you mean survive?" he questioned, and the boy stopped while clenching and unclenching his empty left hand.

"I'll live, you will die, and that is all. If I survive, I will live and then I…. I will live," was the incoherent response. It told him nothing of what he wanted to know, and it sounded like the mutterings of someone completely out of their mind. He wondered if the teenager really was on some sort of drug. It would explain the wide dilated eyes. Large amounts of adrenaline would cause them same, though…. He shifted his hands slightly and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Minato bit his lip as the strange boy moved, and let the shurikens fly. He wasn't sure if he did it out of pity or out of misplaced sympathy, but the moment the blue strings spun around the teenager he changed their chakra and the sharp edges of wind cut through the soft flesh and killed the obviously mad person instantly. Minato didn't stay to look at the mess it created. He didn't want to see it; it was enough to see the red coloring of the strings before they faded. Like threads in the air, the wind carried the blood with it like it would rain. It wasn't a nice picture.

He didn't get to take more than a few steps before he was surrounded by more ninja with the same wide and insane glint in their eyes as the teen he had just killed. Minato felt his heart jolt as they charged him at the same time, and spun around with his shuriken to cut through them and get away from the madness. This wasn't an exam anymore and these people couldn't be genin there to take the exam. There were too many of them, and they were clearly not in the right state of mind. Forgoing the shurikens, he clapped his hands together to form seals, and jumped away as a large snake made of water crashed down on them before breaking right through the wooden street and into the sea beneath. The houses around the hole teetered on the edge a little as if trying to resist gravity and then succumbed to the force.

Minato panted from using that much chakra at once, and stared at the place the water snake had hit. The floorboards were not as sturdy as he had thought them to be. From where he stood he could see the blank surface of the seawater between tiles and boards from the houses. The genin swallowed by the water snake were nowhere to be seen. They had been dragged deep down by the water current made by the water snake, and would most likely not surface again. The technique had made a brief pause in the fighting but as nothing else happened and no more houses or floorboards were falling apart it continued like before.

Minato tried to find someone he knew in the mess and chaos, but all he met were either ninja trying to get away from the blindly attacking force or the ninja bent on killing him. If he hadn't been preoccupied by dodging kunai, shurikens and clumsily wielded swords he would have cursed and screamed. As it was he was too afraid to stop and too worried to try to escape, leaving the option to fight through whatever was going on and find his friends in the fray.

He was so high strung that when he finally reached a place with some semblance of peace he nearly fell to his knees in relief. His senses were still telling him not to relax and not to stop, but his mind was on something else.

The people attacking them were reckless and careless, with no regards to their lives or the lives of others. In fact, they seemed completely set on killing their opponents to get the forehead protectors. He hadn't seen any of them use any ninjutsu or genjutsu, but their sheer number and ferocity made them dangerous. It was as if they were brainwashed into complying with what they did. Minato sighed and decided to get out of there. This wasn't a test; it was slaughter. It didn't matter if he passed anymore, as long as he didn't have to take a larger part of this then he already had.

Apparently he wasn't the only one thinking like that. When he reached the fence he could see other genin there. They looked like he suspected he did; pale, shaken, scared and bloody. Too high strung to feel their own wounds and too nervous and jumpy to relax enough for the adrenaline to die down. He could see some of them stiffen when he arrived, but upon seeing his forehead protector they didn't do anything. They let him pass by them wordlessly, just like he didn't pay attention to them. Some didn't even see him; they stared blindly down or ahead, like the light in their eyes had gone out. What had happened, and was still happening judging from the screams and the sounds from the mist and darkness, had thoroughly drained them for energy and innocence. He wondered if that was what the Mist ninja had been planning all along. It was ruthless, brutal and served no purpose Minato could discern.

"Minato!" upon hearing his name he lifted his eyes from the ground to where the sound came from and laughed delighted. There was Mikoto; disheveled and tired, but still alive, with Fugako standing with his arms crossed over his chest, but for all his bravado Minato could see he was deeply disturbed by what had happened. His eyes were dull and his jaw set. The two Uchihas even smiled when he walked up to them.

"Thank God you're okay," Minato said and resisted an urge to hug them. He didn't think they'd appreciate such public displays of affection. He was about to say more, but an especially loud crash from the area where the fighting was located made them look warily towards the sounds and reach for weapons. Who knew if the lunatics would follow them out here?

"This is absolute madness," Minato said and stared intently into the darkness and mist.

"We caught one to interrogate," Fuagko admitted and exchanged a glance with Mikoto who looked distinctively ill at ease. Minato nodded for him to continue.

"I used a genjutsu which interrupts the chakra flow to break the resistance and asked what's going on," Fugako continued, unaware of the remorseful look Mikoto sported. Minato did see it, but he understood why they had done it. If he had thought of it he would have done the same, but he didn't know a genjutsu which could be used like that.

"Apparently they are students who haven't passed their genin tests once they heard what would happen if they lost, or won, everything considered. They refused to take their tests and now they are being forced to either pass this or die, or be executed for treason."

Minato gaped at him. That was the harshest thing he had ever heard. He knew of the genin exam the Mist still practiced in this time, but to punish those who decided to drop out of the system was beyond cruel. It was inhuman and inexcusable. Minato shook his head in disbelief. There were also things which didn't add up with that story. The first being the number of people and the second their age. Some of those he'd seen had to be in their early teens, and that was too old to graduate by anyone's standard. In Konoha the age limit was twelve years old, in the future that had been the standard, and he didn't think it was any difference in Mist. He would have thought they would force the children to graduate even younger.

He remembered what Yashino had said about the slaves the Mist or Water had bought and their age. He couldn't help but wonder if this was an easy way to get rid of the ones they didn't need. It would explain their lack of skill in both using chakra and weapons. That theory had even more questions attached to it, like why they would bother to try to train slaves to be ninja in the first place. Not everyone could unlock their chakra, and even so it didn't mean they could become ninja. They had to have the right mindset, the right vigor and the willingness to do it. Well, he thought dryly, if the choice was do it or die the willingness was ensured.

"It's cruel," Mikoto mumbled and hugged her arms around herself. The two boys nodded in agreement, silently thanking the gods they weren't part of Mist. At the same time, what they had done and been forced to do crept up on them as the night and dawn proceeded without any incidents. Minato didn't know what to think or feel. He had killed before, but never children so young. He supposed he was worried about it because his mental age was many years older and it just didn't feel right to kill small children, while a part of him said, quite bluntly, that he didn't have a choice in the matter.

"I guess that's life," he said to his own thoughts, but it might also have been an answer to what Mikoto said. The three young genin waited together and watched as the mist turned from the white it used to be, to a pale pink and then a glowing orange red. It was almost as if the blood spilt that night slowly rose into the air. Red dawn, Minato thought wryly.

It felt like a lifetime before the gate was opened and the battered genin could get out of the restricted area. The different sensei were there waiting for them, and the three Konoha genin grinned as they discovered Shibi and Isuna in the crowd and heading for them. Their sensei took in their appearances and Minato could see the grimace they both made as they realized what must have happened during the twenty – four hours they had been apart.

"Are you wounded?" Misuki asked as soon as they were within earshot, and they blinked at their sensei as if that was the most unbelieving thing they had heard in the longest time. Minato simply shook his head.

"We've been stuck in a freaking battle zone with a bunch of complete lunatics! What do you think?" Isuna asked and clutched his arm tightly. From what Minato had seen, he hadn't moved that arm at all, and he could see blood drenching the material of his shirt under his hand. Misuri didn't seem offended by his tone, for once, but gave a small nod.

"Lunatics?" she questioned nonplussed, and the genin all grew serious and the happiness they felt upon leaving the dreadful place melted away.

"Yeah, lunatics would describe it well enough," Minato agreed with a look at his sensei.

"What happened?" the two adults asked simultaneous. Mikoto shook her head slowly and stepped closer to Yashino, as if seeking out some sort of safety. Minato felt sure she'd taken a life for the first time that night, and he knew how disconcerting that could be.

"We were asked to gather five forehead protectors by any means necessary, and it went fine until the night came. I'm not sure of the exact time, but sometime after dusk a lot of failed Mist Academy graduates were released into the area and told to do the same or be executed," he explained pensively, and looked pleadingly at Yashino. He didn't want to talk too much about what he thought here, but he wanted his sensei to know that there was more to it than that.

"Even so their behavior was unsettling and difficult to comprehend," Shibi added monotonously.

"They were nuts, that's what," Isuna grunted and lifted his hand a little to take a look at the still open wound. Fugako shook his head at his teammate's brusque attitude.

"They were desperate and wasn't thinking clearly," Minato said with a frown.

"The one we caught had traces of someone else's chakra in him," Mikoto said quietly but still managed to be heard by all of them. Fugako nodded to her statement.

"My best guess is either a genjutsu like the one I used on him to interrogate him, or to…. torture," he said the last part more softly, because no matter how he was raised and how hard he might act on the outside, he was still an eleven- turning twelve- year old child. Yashino looked at them with a small frown.

"You interrogated one of them?" he asked, and they were reminded that they hadn't yet told their teachers that. Mikoto answered for them.

"We wanted to know what was going on, so we caught one and used the standard interrogation technique on him. The one the police force uses," she said quickly when she saw Yashino's eyes darken. If someone had taught the children the interrogation techniques of ANBU, he would have personally ripped them apart and strewn them for the crows to eat. Minato hummed and wondered which it was. He didn't think Mist would interrogate their own villagers, at least he hoped not but after this show he wasn't sure what to expect anymore, but if they thought they would gain something by torturing them…. Well, he had heard before that Konoha was considered soft and do – goody, so he supposed he shouldn't hold their standards to any other village. For a human being motivation to stay alive always was the best motivation everything considered.

"Excuse me, do you have your targets?" a soft voice asked, and the group turned to see a Mist kunoichi with pale skin and eyes that made her skin seem even paler than it was. They were as dark and bottomless as the stormy sea. Minato handed her his seven forehead protectors, and waited as Fugako and Mikoto each handed her the required amount. She wrote down their names as they did, and nodded to the others. Shibi also handed her four, but didn't seem disappointed. If the buzzing from his bugs was anything to go by, he was happy he didn't have to participate in another of the Mist's insane tests. Isuna also handed her four, but he pouted and scowled when he realized that he wouldn't be able to take the next part of the exam. The kunoichi looked over them, and turned to the sensei with a sympathetic look in her eyes.

"If you are missing genin by now, you should go to the hospital…. Or the morgue," she said in her soft voice before she continued on to the next group which waited to get their success or failure documented. On her back was a simplified snow crystal and Minato wondered if it might have been a clan symbol. He glanced up at his sensei, who also was staring at the symbol.

"Interesting clan that one…. Always so soft on the outside, like snow, and then they will go as cold and unyielding as the glacier," he said and smiled ruefully.

"An example of how looks can be deceiving," he continued while looking them over once more. Then he sighed.

"Do any of you need to be checked up at the hospital? That arm doesn't look good, Isuna, so you better come whether you want or not."

"I've got some cuts and scrapes but nothing major," Fugako reported dully. Mikoto had no wounds to speak of, having used the same strategy as Minato and kept her distance as much as possible and not run into another long range ninja. Shibi monotonously said his bugs had already taken care of the damage his body had sustained, in that wording, and again stunned his comrades with his choice of words.

"Hmm, well if that's all you've been lucky," Misuri said pointedly, earning some huffs and scoffs.

"We're just that good," Minato rebutted her with a teasing smirk and the mood lightened somewhat.

"Says the one almost out of chakra," Yashino admonished and shook his head bemused. Misuri chuckled at them but her grin faded as she spoke.

"You two are pretty cute together, but I'm afraid you'll have to continue your banter later. We have to check the hospital for Kimiko and Shou," she said and the smiles died on their faces. Minato lowered his eyes to the ground, and hated what he said next.

"If you don't find them there, there is no guarantee they are in the morgue either. There were people who fell into the sea, and some were dragged under," he said with some bitterness. It was bad enough that they would never grow up, that they would never see many of the most beautiful places in the world, not experience some of the precious moments they could have had, but to never be brought to a grave…. He knew that was the fate of many ninja, but he still didn't like it. It might not matter to the dead, they were dead either way, but to the people left behind it would matter a lot.

"Either way we'll find out," Yashino said after a moment of silence.

"What should we do?" Mikoto asked him wearily. Shibi was by her side, discreetly lending her an arm to lean on. Minato smiled a little. That was what being a teammate was like. Always having the support of someone, be it silent or vocal. Misuri looked over the ragtag group.

"You should get back to our rooms, get washed and try to sleep. You all look like you need it," she said sternly. With that tone of voice, none of them dared to protest and Minato wholeheartedly agreed with her on the bath, at least. He had blood all over the front of his clothes, thanks to the people he had had to take on close up. It hadn't been that many, but in the mass of people fighting he hadn't counted and he hadn't thought, he had just acted. He guessed he'd find a few wounds here and there when his senses finally calmed down completely and he washed up.

Late that night he lay wide awake and watched as the fog slowly shifted in the light of the light pole outside his window. Shibi was sleeping, he was sure of that, since his breathing was even and deep. There was no question that Isuna was sleeping; he was snoring like there was no tomorrow. How they managed to do that after what they had just been through was beyond him, but perhaps they were too shocked to let it affect them yet. In a while it would start to register, and then…. It would make them or break them as ninja. Minato knew, because once he had gone through the same.

The sound of the door opening and closing alerted him to Yashino's presence. He never managed to detect the man unless he made a sound. It was scary and almost a little supernatural how he managed to be so quiet and... invisible, for lack of a better word, at all times. He was there, but he might as well not be.

"Are you awake, Minato?"

Minato didn't turn to look at his sensei, neither did he acknowledge him at first.

"Yes," he answered eventually when Yashino didn't move away or leave. He heard the quiet sound of clothes moving and glanced around to see Yashino leaning against the wall with a tired expression, twinning a cigarette in his hand.

"You never sleep much at night, am I right?" Yashino asked again, and this time Minato made a small movement of agreement.

"Shh, such a troublesome child…. Would you like to come with me outside for a while? I'd like to watch the stars a little."

Minato raised an eyebrow at that. His sensei really did get weirder and weirder each day but he didn't turn down the offer. Instead he silently dressed and followed the Uchiha to the roof of the hotel. They sat side by side and stared upwards, but all they could see was the constant grey and slowly moving mass of chakra induced mist.

"Ah, such a pity, they aren't out today," Yashino said with a small grin. Minato snorted at his mock surprise.

"Why did you bring me out here?"

"Why did you agree to come?"

Minato tilted his head to look at Yashino, but the man was not watching him. He was smoking and staring up with a thoughtful expression. Not the distant look of someone remembering, but of someone who is deep in their own mind. Minato returned his gaze to the glow of the light poles under them.

"Hey, sensei…. Why….. This exam wasn't an exam, it was just…. Carnage. Why would the Mist do something like this?"

Yashino hummed but didn't respond straight away.

"Why don't you tell me what happened first? I haven't got a report on it. I know Misuri spoke with Mikoto and Shibi, but I've been taking care of something else," he answered evenly. Minato could guess at what 'something else' was, and knew better than to ask him to elaborate on it, so he told him. Slowly at first, and then faster. About the fear he had felt when they were fighting all around him, about the panic that had risen in his heart and made him act without thinking, about his concern for his friends and his remorse at killing someone as young as himself. Yashino listened patiently, and at the end he leaned over to ruffle his hair.

"Everyone dies, Minato. That is the course of the world. It doesn't matter what power you held, what cards life has dealt you. In the end we'll all die, and if that happens at a young age or an old age, it doesn't matter. What matters is what they felt during those years. Did they live a fulfilling life? Were they happy? Were they loved? Did they have dreams to reach for or goals to attain? If they did then it is fine, because they knew what life is, and the only sadness left is for those who are still alive to grieve what they have lost."

Yashino chuckled dryly.

"The dead don't grieve, Minato. They meet the friends and family they have lost. It is those left behind you should worry about, always and always those who are still alive. In our life regret is inevitable. You can say you'll never regret anything, but you will regret or you aren't human. If you want to live like a ninja that is more important than to never regret at all."

"…but if I said I would never do anything I would regret, what then?"

Yashino shook his head knowingly with a sad smile.

"Do you think you are the only one to ever think like that? Do you think they managed to do it? In the end, you never know what your choices will bring until you've made them and seen the consequences for yourself. It is in that moment you will know if you will regret it or not, and then it is too late to do anything about it. Some choices may seem obvious, but…. In this war, to begin with, I never killed without due cause. I didn't like it and I didn't want to. Later one of the people I had let go killed one of my teammates. It wasn't until that moment that I realized that was the consequence of my choice. For each enemy I let live, some of my comrades might die."

"…." Minato didn't know what to say. He always thought that if he only did what his heart told him to do, it would be alright, but from someone others point of view, that might look both selfish and naïve. Looking back he knew he had regretted things in his past life too, despite saying he wouldn't. He had regretted not being strong enough to keep Sasuke in Konoha, he had regretted not learning everything he could while he was young so he could learn more advanced things later, he regretted not paying more attention to his friends, who thought that he never really had paid attention to other people's feelings unless their emotional state was something he could relate to. His choices…. Yeah, some were good, some were bad, some…. Well, something in-between, but he never saw their results until later.

"You learn as you go, brat. For each day you survive, for each person you meet, you'll learn something you didn't know before. Pay attention to them because when everything is said and done, they are the ones to judge you. If you want to become a great ninja, you will have to do things you don't want to do. Most likely you'll have to kill innocents, even children, you'll have to lie and deceive, cheat and trick, but you'll also have to protect, love, care for, nourish and help. You will take lives and you'll save lives. That is how it is, but the people who matter to you, the people who will judge you when the time comes, they will never know it all despite being the ones who will praise or dirty your reputation."

Minato only nodded and drew his knees up to rest his head on them. What Yashino was saying sounded so cynical and jaded and still, from the civil war he had experienced he knew it to be true. From the stories he had heard, he knew it to be true. It wasn't until it was done that he would truly know. He wondered briefly if some of his friends had thought of him as childish and never told him. They probably did…. It made him wonder what his current friends were thinking. He almost yelped as a hand landed heavily on his head.

"You are thinking too much, Minato. Do you want to hear what my sensei told me, when I was your age and wondered how I could ever go on like this?"

Minato looked up at him in surprise. It was the first time he had heard Yashino mention his own sensei, but of course he would have had one at some point in time. He wondered who that had been and how he had influenced his sensei.

"What did he say?"

"The same thing I'll tell you. When we're back in Konoha, watch the streets one day. Sit down by yourself and look, and ask yourself what you see. Then, when the evening comes, ask yourself where all the lonely people come from."

"Lonely people?"

"Hmm, lonely people. You'll understand one day. I did…. and now, unless there is something else troubling you, you should try to go to bed."

Minato was about to leave, but remembered something he had wanted to tell his sensei.

"Those people, those who attacked too recklessly at the test, they didn't use much chakra, and they didn't seem to be very good at handling their weapons. If they had been, we'd all been dead by now."

"I know. I think they were disposed of in that way because most countries won't look into it," Yashino answered in a hushed voice.

"You mean…. They were…. "

"Yeah, but I don't understand why. I understand getting rid of the ones they can't use, but to train foreigners, especially this kind of foreigners, won't necessary give you any loyal soldiers. It is as if the Mizukage wants to replenish his ranks after the war as quickly as possible, but why spend so many resources on it and for what? He could easily have walked around his own countryside and gathered orphans and others who'd want to become loyal ninja of Mist and saved himself a fortune at the same time. I don't get it."

They sat in silence for a while, each considering what they knew, and Minato trying to fit it with his knowledge of the future. He agreed with Yashino, it didn't make sense at all. The Uchiha eventually sighed and ruffled his hair again.

"Go to sleep, Minato. We won't understand more tonight anyway, and you have an exam to pass in a week."

"A week?" Minato asked startled. The one time he had taken the chuunin exam before they had had a month to prepare. Obviously that wasn't the case here.

"They want us out of here as fast as possible. They might host the exam in a show of strength and prosperity, but they don't like having their village flooded with outsiders. Especially not right after the war," Yashino answered as he heard the surprised tone of voice.

Minato nodded in understanding and left to get some sleep that night. Who knew, perhaps he would get the answer to the riddle that was Mist's ploy one day.


	13. Climbing High, Falling Hard

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_Minato nodded in understanding and left to get some sleep that night. Who knew, perhaps he would get the answer to the riddle that was Mist's ploy one day. _

12.

Minato watched the match going on under him with interest. He had never seen the masterful earth manipulations Rock ninja prided themselves in before, so he found them fascinating. As long as he wasn't on the receiving end of the techniques, that is. Unfortunately for the Rock ninja, he was matched against a Waterfall shinobi with plenty of water around to combat the earth element. After an initial ninjutsu match they had simultaneously decided they wouldn't get anywhere using only ninjutsu and started to attack with taijutsu and weapons. They had been at it for a good twenty minutes and nothing pointed towards an end of the match anytime soon, unless one or both of them ran out of chakra.

"What do you think?" Fugako asked beside him. The two of them were the only Konoha ninja to attend the final matches, having come out victorious in their previous battles. The Mist had a shrewd way of arranging things, and although nearly fifty genin passed their first terror test, only ten were left in the finals. The number of forehead protectors gathered at the first stage of the exam was the number of battles the genin had to fight before the finals. The ones with the most wins were allowed to proceed, while the ones who lost dropped out. It was also a rather unfair system, in Minato's eyes, because some, like him, had more than five forehead protectors. It meant they had more battles to fight, but also a larger chance of passing.

"They're evenly matched. One of the will give up, or it's a double knock out," Minato answered slowly. He was impressed with the intensity of the two genin battling it out, but he didn't think they'd pass. They were merely fighting to win, not planning on what to do to win. They didn't practice tactic, which, unless things were more different in Mist than he already thought, were required of a chunin.

"You think so? The earth element is strong against water but the Waterfall guy has the upper hand with all the water in the air here," Fugako countered thoughtfully. Minato shook his head with a small smirk.

"No, they both used a lot of chakra in the beginning of the fight instead of feeling each other out and trying to spot a weak point. They don't have enough chakra to go back to ninjutsu anymore."

"Perhaps you're right. It should be over soon anyway," the older boy said and nodded towards the two exhausted boys in the arena. Minato could hear the cheering and jeering from the crowd, each mingled into the other and blended together, but egging the two opponents on for different reasons. He wondered what kind of opponent he would get, and let his eyes travel over the other seven genin waiting for their turn.

Other than Fugako and him there were two Mist genin, a boy and a girl, a Sand ninja with a puppet on his back, another Rock ninja, a Grass kunoichi and one boy from Cloud. They were all tense and nervous, but trying not to show it. The Grass kunoichi was succeeding in that, her face was completely blank and pale, like that of a porcelain doll.

Mikoto had quit the exam upon hearing about her teammate's death, and spent most of her time counting the hours until they could leave and go home. Fugako had continued despite the death of his female comrade, but he had silently sworn to pass just for her. Despite all their fighting, they were good friends on their team, and now he had to handle the exuberant Inuzuka on his own. Truth be told, Isuna hadn't been as energetic as he used to be after learning what happened to Kimiko. Misuri sensei said it was nothing to worry about and that he would bounce back to his old self given some time, so they pretended everything was normal and went on preparing for the finals.

Minato wasn't sure what to feel about their deaths. He was sad they were dead, naturally, but he didn't know them very well and had only spent a few days in their company. After seeing the deaths of close friends it felt…. Distant, removed from him somehow. It was something that happened that he couldn't help, and that more than anything made him uneasy. He knew someday he would fight in a war, unless he found a way to avoid it, but somehow that didn't seem likely. He didn't even know what triggered it, and he couldn't just tell the Hokage that he didn't want to. So it was easier to let it be and not think about it.

He looked back at the arena in time to see the two genin crash together in a final brilliant clash of earth and water, like the tidal wave hitting a cliff and getting soaked up by the crumbling remains of the rock and earth it had deformed. The arena filled with a soggy mass of mud. The two genin were carried out unconscious after a double knockout and Minato smiled at Fugako.

Minato had been surprised at first, when he discovered that the floor of the arena wasn't the wooden floorboards that made up most of the ground in the Mist village. It was actually made from real earth, and not only that, but it was dry land. He supposed the middle of the village was a larger of the many small islands the village rested on and around, and that the arena had been built there for that reason. It was also close to where the Mizukage had office, but today the Sandaime Mizukage wasn't in his office. He was watching the fight with his personal guards around him, staring down at the genin with impassive eyes. Minato had gotten a glimpse of the blue haired male when the finalists were presented in the arena before the matches started. Him and a whole lot of other dignities. He had seen the Fire Daimyo there, with all twelve of the Fire Guards, and many of the nobilities serving him. Minato recognized their banners from his history lessons at the Academy. They weren't alone, of course. There were banners from all over the Elemental Countries.

He watched two more matches, the Mist kunoichi got neutralized on the sharp and poisonous daggers of the Sand ninja's puppets. Minato was a bit disturbed by the Sand ninja, mainly because he couldn't decide if it was a girl or a boy. He or she was wrapped in layers of fluttery clothing and the hands were covered by gloves. After them the Cloud ninja got impaled, he died on the spot, by the remaining Rock shinobi. The earthen spears rose from the ground like the spikes on a hedgehog and there was no room to escape. The downside was that they had to change the proctor as well…. No promotion there… and most likely a pissed off Mizukage. When it was all cleared up Minato was to fight the kunoichi from Grass.

She was slender as well as pale, with long straight black hair and equally long and black lashes. Her mouth was too red compared to her skin, making her almost transparent in appearance. Minato eyes her cautiously, wondering what kind of fighting style she had. She hadn't moved since they arrived in the arena, and stood with her eyes fastened on something over his shoulder. He was nearly tempted to turn and look if he could see what she found so fascinating, but decided it wouldn't be a wise thing to do considering the situation. The new proctor declared the match on and hurried out of the way suspiciously fast, probably fearing he might end up sharing fate with his former comrade.

The girl still didn't move, so Minato stayed where he was, pondering the stalemate and coming up with plans. They all relayed on the girl actually moving though.

"Do you want to negotiate?" she finally asked in a tone that suggested that she was seriously considering it. Minato stared at her before he blinked in disbelief. Was it even possible to negotiate in a chunin exam?

"Why would you do that?" he asked and tilted his head to the side, regarding her with curiosity. She had guts to suggest it in front of all these people, he'd give her that.

"I see no reason to fight with you, and even if both of us have a lot to gain from winning, a mutual beneficial agreement would be preferable."

"Hmmm, that might be so, but I don't think it is possible. If we do work out an agreement like that, it would lead to both of us giving away the victory, meaning none of us would fight in the next round. Neither of us would benefit from that, seeing as the people here want to see what we can do. If we, as allies, were pitted against each other in any other situation, I would have agreed with you though."

"Then fight we will," the girl nodded and slid her hand over a seal, summoning a wooden umbrella covered with seals. Minato didn't know what they could do, so he jumped backwards and frowned at the dark markings. The girl just smiled amiably, and lifted her umbrella to hide her from the sun. A moment later she disappeared with a flick of the umbrella in front of her. Minato's eyes widened as she reappeared right in front of him, her eyes still as the deep waters and ready to plunge a senbon needle in his heart. As she did, she looked amazed for a moment as the blond boy dissolved into hundreds of small sky blue butterflies.

"You are not the only one who can do illusions," Minato said softly and stepped out from behind the proctor. The man jerked in surprise, but didn't otherwise show what he thought of being snuck up on by a child, a genin none the less. The girl smiled now, a small true smile that showed appreciation and was again gone in the air. Minato huffed as he realized he was caught in another genjtusu, this time he canceled it out and caught her in another one. This time they were facing each other in a field of flowers, with butterflies flying above them in an overwhelming display of color. It was nearly impossible not to look at the many fluttering wings, trying to make out one butterfly among the many hundreds fluttering around them. The girl was holding her breath a minute, before she forced her eyes to Minato. He hadn't moved from his place opposite her.

"It is pretty. Did you make this illusion?" she asked thoughtfully. She knew she was in one, but when she raised her hands to cancel it, nothing happened. She opened her mouth startled to look at Minato, who now was mirroring her earlier small smile. The butterflies were obscuring him slightly from her view, like thin and moving mist, but he didn't move and didn't answer her question. Instead the butterflies started to move around quicker, gathering around her in a dense impenetrable cloud. Their silken wings turned hard as steal, cutting her clothes and skin when they touched. Desperately she tried again the undo the illusion, and this time it faded away like a bad dream. Minato watched her clutch her umbrella as she kneeled on the ground and panting. She had overcharged the release technique when she tried it. When she looked up, Minato met her gaze steadily.

"You…. you double layered a B – ranked illusion?"she asked wonderingly, and Minato smiled and shook his head.

"I altered a C – ranked illusion named Profusion of Flowers to fit my preference for butterflies. What makes it B – ranked is the double layer. I call it Profusion of Butterflies. Wasn't it pretty?" he explained lightly. The girl stared at him and smiled.

"Yes, it was pretty. You must have good understanding of illusion since you managed to do that," the girl admitted and rose, twisting her umbrella so it folded in on itself and formed a staff.

"Maybe, or maybe I just have a very persistent sensei," Minato answered and eyed the staff curiously. It was nearly the same as the one Misuri sensei carried around. Only this one was covered with dark seals. There was only one way to find out what the girl could do with the staff and that was to attack it. He was surprised, however, when he leapt towards it and his hand was rebuked as he tried to reach behind it. Moments later he was thrown backwards and landed hard on the ground. The girl simply smiled that small smile of hers, until the boy dissolved in water.

"Water Clone," Minato said slowly from where he was perched on the wall surrounding them.

"Those seals on your umbrella, they make it so you can channel chakra through the umbrella and create illusions without hand seals, don't they? Whatever I may see it as, it is still an umbrella, a very dangerous umbrella that is. I don't like things that look like one thing and are another."

It was annoying, that thing. He could never be sure when or if she would create another illusion, and he had to constantly pay attention to her chakra. If it flared she was likely feeding chakra to the seals, and nothing obvious happened, he would have to pay close attention to his own chakra. But…. A wooden umbrella was still a wooden umbrella, no matter how many seals there were on it. It couldn't act on its own, and without it, she should be harmless, or something close to harmless. She wouldn't be as annoying, at least. Now she used the umbrella both as a shield and a weapon.

Minato sighed and made seals for a technique he was well versed in by now. Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger for Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Technique. Several small fireballs headed for the Grass kunoichi, and when she lifted the umbrella to avoid being hit, the thuds of shuriken hitting it could be heard. All the eyes were on her, and the clearly useless attempt of burning her. Still, those few who weren't watching her deflect the fireballs with her umbrella, realized the Leaf ninja was nowhere to be seen. Not before the girl had deflected the last fireball and lowered her umbrella did she realize she had lost sight of her opponent and that he was gone. She spun around, but Minato wasn't in the arena. That is, he wasn't above the ground in the arena. The girl's legs were grabbed from beneath the surface and she was dragged down until only her head was above the ground.

When Minato emerged he smiled amiably at the girl's head.

"Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique. An easy D – ranked technique, but very useful sometimes. I do hope you give up now, or I will have to cut your head off or something like that," he said with all the seriousness he could muster. He wouldn't go that far, he'd knock her out, but she didn't need to know that. The girl looked as if she tried to squirm, but the ground was firmly locked around her. In the end, she resigned. The proctor declared Minato the winner, and helped the girl to get out of the ground. She looked less the pleased, but for some reason she nodded with grudging respect to Minato.

"You used that technique when I was distracted by the fireballs and the umbrella hid you from me, right?" she asked him, and Minato smiled at her.

"Yeah, I did. My sensei has told me to always make sure I know where my enemy is, be it by seeing them, smelling them or feeling their chakra. I thought, since your umbrella would have chakra in the seals you wouldn't be able to feel my chakra when hiding behind it, and neither would you see me. That left smell, but the smoke from the fireballs evaporating should take care of that. It was a good match, though, and good luck."

Minato left the arena and watched as Fugako was up against the last Mist ninja. It proved to be interesting. The Mist ninja used ice techniques, something that brought a lot of memories back to Minato, but if the shinobi could use the same kind of demonic ice mirrors as Haku had done, he didn't do it. Instead Fugako was hard pressed to fight an ice whale, possible hundreds of ice senbons, an ice figure of himself that was mimicking him too well and at the end, when he had countered the whale with Violent Water Wave, dodged and disrupted the senbons, tried to melt the ice with the Great Fireball and even combined it with the Wind Release: Great Breakthrough and it still didn't work, he was caught in an ice prison. Minato had a feeling the young Uchiha was seething with frustration and irritation at having to face the only other bloodline limit in the finals. Minato doubted he would do much better against someone with such a mastery over their bloodline. He hoped he didn't have to fight the ice boy, or he would have to come up with a very good strategy to win. He wasn't sure he would be able to do that. He was by no means like the Naras.

They were only four left now; him, the ice boy, the Rock ninja who impaled his opponent and the androgynous Sand ninja. He was matched against the Rock ninja, who eyed the smaller blond boy with narrowed eyes. Minato wondered if he should worry for his life. Having seen the previous battle of the Rock ninja he knew this would be a deadlier match than the one he had with the Grass kunoichi. It was confirmed when the Rock shinobi opened the match with Earth Release: Split Earth Turnaround Palm. The earth around Minato twisted and turned, swirling in on him like a maelstrom of earth. Minato instinctively jumped to the arena wall and out of the way. The screeching sound accompanying the moving earth overpowered the sound of the cheering crowd, but Minato didn't care. He glared at his opponent angrily. If he'd been caught in that he'd been dead, sucked under in the twisting and turning earth and torn apart with it. Bastard. When the earth stopped moving he landed softly on the ground again, staring his smirking opponent.

"You can't beat me with a daft D – ranked technique and some fancy tricks," the older boy said proudly and Minato dipped his head in agreement.

"Oh no, but I do know a trick you'll fall for," he answered lightly and started to make seals. As soon as he did, the other genin melted into the ground. Minato huffed and shook his head. Talk about bastard, he wouldn't even risk falling in a genjutsu. Instead Minato summoned large amounts of water, forming a wave and thoroughly drenching the area. It slammed against the walls of the arena and finally calmed down to form a small basin. Minato stood atop of it just as the Rock ninja emerged from the wall. He still had that cocky smirk on his face, and Minato decided to thoroughly wipe it off his smile and hopefully they wouldn't meet again.

"Didn't your sensei tell you water techniques are weak against earth techniques?" his opponent mocked, but Minato simply tilted his head a little, waiting for him to drop from the wall to the surface of the water. He could feel his heart beat uncomfortably fast, since he only had one chance for this to succeed. If he failed he wouldn't get the other genin to step onto the water again. No one was that stupid after all. He refused to show how nervous he was and kept silently waiting for his opponent to do something, anything.

He nearly missed the sudden movement in the dirty water as a large spear of earth rose from under it. He hissed as he was forced to jump away, only to dodge another one. Weaving through the spears he kept half an eye on the other genin. He had never been happier that he had decided to become faster, and landed panting on one of the still spears reaching for the sky above. The other genin was finally on the ground again, or as it was, on the water. He cut the chakra flow that kept him to the spear and fell towards the ground, flipping around so he could land in a crouch and slammed his hands to the water. Immediately currents of lightning raced through the water, cutting right through the earthen spears and heading stunning the Rock shinobi into a cardiac arrest. That hadn't been Minato's intention, of course, but it was harder to control the amount of chakra he poured into the only lightning based technique he knew while falling and trying to catch his breath. Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder, he whispered as he saw the other boy fall to the ground, shaking and shivering from the lightning and the pain it caused. Medic nin swarmed into the arena as the proctor declared Minato the winner, safely perched on the wall, away from the almost deadly attack.

Minato breathed heavily as he rose and nearly fell through the surface of the water, not that it was deep enough to reach above his knees, but still. He felt wobbly after pushing so much chakra into one technique, enough to electrocute the entire arena, cut through the earth spears and creating several holes in the arena wall where the lightning bolts had struck it. He hoped he wasn't charged with some kind of fee for collateral damage… it was lucky that the other guy had tried to avoid the lightning, or he would have been frizzled on the spot. Too bad earth was weak against lightning. Hadn't his sensei told him that? Minato shook his head and returned to the balcony where the two others were watching. They didn't say anything, just eyed him warily, as if trying to figure out how such a small boy could do what he just did. He was two years younger than them, or looked two years younger than them. His mind was a different matter, but they didn't know that.

The Sand ninja and the ice boy entered the damaged arena shortly after, but Minato didn't watch their fight. He sat down with his back against the wall and rested his head against his knees. The first thing he was going to do when he got back to Konoha was to enlarge his chakra reserves. His body grew, and he trained but this took too long. He had to find to increase his chakra pool faster. It was true that he had put a lot of chakra into this fight, with all the jumping he had done and sped up his movements with it, and also pouring a good half of his remaining chakra into one technique, but he still had one fight left.

He distantly heard the sound of crashes and felt the cold draft the ice techniques left in the air and wondered who would win. He could summon the energy to stand up and watch, but if should stand any chance in the next match he'd need all the energy he had and probably some more. His opponent too would be low on chakra from fighting so many battles in a row, and this one was taking its sweet time to finish up. It was too tempting to resist, so he slowly stood up and noted that his muscles were protesting on the movement.

The arena looked…. Wrecked. The ground was torn apart, both from his match and this one, the walls had holes in them from his lightning, and long deep gashes from what Minato assumed was ice attacks, and ice and puppet pieces lay strewn around on the bottom. The Sand shinobi was really a he; it was clear since most of his layers of clothing had been removed during the fight. One of his arms hung useless at his side, bleeding and hastily bandaged by some of the clothing. He was pale, probably from blood loss, and his eyes were murky with pain and exhaustion. The Mist ninja was leaning against the wall and holding a small senbon needle in one hand. It was bloodied, so Minato thought it must have been removed from his body somewhere. The Mist ninja had several small puncture wounds, proving that both of the opponents had fought keeping their distance and relying on senbons and throwing weapons along with their techniques. Minato could see shuriken and kunai littering the ground when he took a better look and he was sure the puppet user had poison on them all. Nothing else explained why the ice boy was in such a state. He didn't have any obvious wounds other than the small trickles of blood left by senbon needles.

The proctor looked from one to the other and patiently waited for one of them to do something. None of them could do something, so he declared the match over with a double knockout. One was poisoned and one was suffering from blood loss and the beginning stages of hypothermia. It turned out Minato didn't have to fight either of them, which felt surprisingly disappointing. They were clearly brilliant at what they did and Minato would have liked to see what he could have been able to do against one of them. It also ended the first chunin exam after the war strangely anticlimactic. There were some mulling around by the audience, but little by little the stadium emptied. It was over, just like that.

Minato met with Yashino outside the stadium. The others had left already and waiting for them at the hotel.

"Sensei," he said softly as he made his way down the stairs and towards him.

"Congratulations, Minato. I think you won the tournament," Yashino said with some wry humor mingled in his voice. Minato snorted and shook his head reflexively at the silly comment.

"I don't think I could have fought the Sand ninja or the last Mist ninja. They were great," he said thoughtfully, and Yashino hummed in agreement.

"They were, but they had some bad luck, having to fight each other before the final."

Minato looked tiredly at him, and wondered what he meant by that.

"They were both preferring long distance, specializing in techniques that keeps their bodies safely away from the enemy while the techniques can get close. The ice user had the upper hand here, with all the water around, but the puppet master had a advantage of being able to do close combat with his puppets, something that other boy was ill adapt at. Why do you think he kept Fugako safely away from himself? He never would have won if Fugako had been able to copy those techniques as he normally would have."

Minato frowned.

"So Fugako lost because he couldn't copy the techniques?" he asked with some annoyance. That meant that no one else would have been able to win either, if they weren't on a much higher level than the ice user had been. Yashino shook his head.

"No, he could still have won if he had been able to realize that he needed to get close to his opponent. Sadly that ice boy was really good at keeping him on his toes and preoccupied with dodging. That said, the Sand ninja also had the fortune of having seen the ice techniques in the previous battle and had time to think of a strategy. It is much easier to do when you aren't fighting for your life."

"Yeah…. I am glad I had time to think of something when fighting that Rock ninja…. He really did try to kill me. I was almost tempted to use the wind strings on him."

Yashino gave him a half smile and shook his head knowingly.

"You say that, but a true trump card isn't something you show in front of hundreds of witnesses. Besides, you did well without them, didn't you?"

Minato smiled up at him, and laughed.

"I guess I did. So when can we go home?"

"From what we were told, the Mizukage together with his advisors and the visiting daimyos are going to have a meeting deciding who gets a promotion this evening, so I suppose we can go home tomorrow when they have announced their decisions. They don't want us loitering around longer than necessary in any case."

True enough, the next day the remaining finalists were summoned to a strange room in the Mist village. The room was dug out of the hard rock the main island in the Mist village and a long, spiraling staircase led down to it. It was chilled and humid, with only torches for light. The air smelled salty, and the walls were glistening wet when they passed with the torches. When they reached the bottom there was a large lake surrounded by a carved walkway all around it. The water was very black, and very still. Unnervingly so, as if it was waiting for something or someone, to break the mirror-like surface.

The Mizukage was waiting for them at the other side of the lake, staring seemingly uncaringly at the blank surface of the lake. Minato didn't like the cave, down here it looked natural and no longer carved out of the rock, but the feeling was the same. Chilling and disturbing it unsettled his senses and made the hairs on the back of his neck and arms to stand on an end. It was as if he was walking into danger, but there was nothing to suggest that this was some sort of trap to kill them. No, the blue haired kage looked at them with his unreadable green eyes and nodded to himself as if satisfied by their presence.

"Welcome, young guests, to the heart of the Mist village," he said and smirked at them. Minato raised an eyebrow at that, and looked around to see some sort of token that this was indeed the center of one of the five great ninja villages. It was nothing that suggested that this place had any significance.

"I see you are doubtful," the Mizukage said and looked at the youngsters with something akin to bemusement. The older ninja around them, his guards and the jonin who had led them there all smiled and shared his bemusement at their expense.

"Don't worry about it, young ones. Not many knows these days but years and years ago, when the villages were first founded this was where the Mist village started. Unlike Konoha, who was the first village to be founded according to themselves to stop the bloodshed between the rivaling clans of Fire Country," his eyes swept over Fugako and Minato, who both dipped their head slightly in acknowledgement at his words.

"The clans of Water Country banded together to get rid of a great threat to their homes, no matter where they lived on the many islands making out our land. They banded together not to end bloodshed, but to carry out a large battle against an even larger evil, a demon of great renown. The three tailed demon turtle. It was a great battle, they fought heroically and the beast retreated to it layer in the middle of the peninsula our islands are situated in. To this cave. The Shodaime Mizukage came here and fought him, eventually driving him away from this land and this world."

The man, who was in late twenties, if Minato had to guess, turned to them and watched them with a serious expression. He was a tall man, with intense green eyes. A green like that of the ocean when the rivers from the glaciers run wild in the spring. He didn't look like someone who would send tens of children to their deaths because he didn't have use for them, but neither did the Sandaime Hokage, and he too agreed to acts less than honorable for the good of his village.

"Do you know why I am telling you this?" he asked quizzically. The young genin remained silent and waited for him to explain, and with a small smirk he did.

"Every hidden village is founded to fight something or someone. Even Konoha, who was founded to rid Fire Country of its internal strife, had a secondary object; to better fight invaders to their country and home. Sand formed to fight for the trading routes through their country, to protect them from bandits and to keep them in the country so no one could redirect them through smaller countries. Rock felt threatened by Cloud, who again didn't like the assembling strength of Konoha. Everyone had their own reasoning, and with the forming of the five elemental villages, the smaller countries had to follow. It was their only chance of survival."

He turned from them again and directed his eyes towards the lake, looking thoughtful and distant in his Mizukage robes. It was a reminder of how far these young children still had to climb to be among the truly powerful of their world.

"We have just finished one war, and while peace is something all of us need, peace isn't something any ninja can guarantee. Tomorrow the day our daimyos might try to do something stupid, as proud noblemen are prone to do, and we, as ninja, might have to sort it out. Maybe we can do so with words and money, with threats or treats, but if nothing else works it is back to the war. Back to what we were first assembled to do. Fight for our countries and deter others from trying to take it. We all do what is best for our village, no matter what that might be, no matter what the consequences might be, no matter what our consciousness will tell us and no matter what others will think. That is what makes us ninja."

He trailed off, staring at the black surface for a while more before he turned to the genin with a serious expression.

"Namikaze Minato, Wakana Kouta and Yuuki Ryuo you are hereby chunin of your village. Serve them well and live your lives. When the day comes for you to face the battlefields remember why you it. That is all."

He handed each of them a small scroll, and told Minato and that Wakana guy to give it to the Hokage and Kazekage respectively. It was their proof of passing the exam and being promoted. They bowed to the Mizukage, who remained in the cave and staring impassively at the still waters as they were led back into the relative light of the misty village. Minato, silently cheering and jumping for joy in his mind, couldn't wait to be back in Konoha. He had never gotten a chance to do what normal chunin do, or celebrate passing the exam in the first place. He wondered what his friends would say, and if they would be suitably awed. Well, he hoped they would, considering they still had a few months until they graduated to become genin, and he had already passed his chunin exam. He really couldn't help the wide grin spreading over his face. Fugako glanced over at him, and for some reason, he too seemed to smile in his own way, his eyes glinting with suppressed mirth.

"Smile any wider and you'll split your face in two," he said teasingly, but Minato only chuckled at him.

"It won't. I've smiled like this before you know," he answered lightly. The Uchiha snorted and shook his head in mock resignation.

"Oh well, there'll be an exam in Rock six months from now, so when I pass those we might take missions together," he said with more vigor.

"You sound terribly sure you'll pass," Minato pointed out for him and Fugako raised an eyebrow as to dare him to say he wouldn't.

"Of course I'll pass. I know what I did wrong in this final, so I'll do better in the next. Sensei promised we'd work on strategy while we wait for our new teammate…."

The last part was said quietly and his eyes dimmed a little at the thought of his dead teammate. When he next spoke he sounded a little bitter.

"I guess your celebration will have to wait till the funerals are over."

Minato nodded in agreement, and felt some of his own good mood disappear with the thought. He never liked funerals. It was okay when they were over, when they could remember all the good times and celebrate the life of the person who passed away, but during it he was only reminded that he wouldn't see that person again in life, not speak to him or her, and seek them out for advice or just to hang out. It was sad and he felt misplaced no matter who was buried. They usually had family there, lovers, children or closer friends who were struck with the sorrow of the person leaving them much harder than him and it felt a bit as if he was intruding on their sorrow.

Forcing those thoughts away, he brightened up as they met up with the rest of their small group outside of the hotel they had stayed at. He grinned and proudly held the small scroll tied with a blue ribbon up for them to see. He laughed at the wide eyes of Isuna and the raised eyebrows of Misuri sensei. Mikoto congratulated him loudly and gave him a hug while Shibi quietly told him he'd catch up sometimes soon. What made him the happiest however, was the smile Yashino gave him. One that said 'I knew you could do it' and 'I'm proud of you' at the same time. None of the teachers he had in his previous life ever got to see his growth, and that was why that smiled meant so much to Minato. He even let Yashino ruffle his hair affectionately without trying to dodge his hand or huff at what one normally did with a child.

The only thing left for them to do, was to head back to Konoha. Minato didn't know if Yashino had been successful with his mission, but he knew better than to ask him. Judging by his mood he'd say Yashino had found what he was looking for, or he was happier by him passing the exam then Minato had though he would be.

The first three days of their journey went without incidents. The swampy mainland of Water country was just like they remembered it to be, and their week and a half stay in Mist hadn't changed it. Wet and dreary. The young genin were ever so delighted when they learned they were taking another route home, one that didn't lead them along the coast and the entire swamp, but rather took the route through the Water Country to the border of Rain. Minato had some misgivings, but well, from what he knew at this time Pain was a brat a few years older than he was at the moment, and busy with…. Whatever gave him the notion of being a God. Perhaps he should be worried after all.

Following the border of the Rain Country would lead them to the small part of northern Fire Country that shared borders with Rain. Between that border and Water's border with Rain lay smaller countries which wouldn't give them any troubles so the plan was to keep to their side of the border. They still ran the risk of running into Rain ninja, but as they weren't at war at this time, the worst that could happen was a scuffle for pride.

That was what they assumed.

Two days away from the Fire Country border, while trying to avoid a small patrol from Vegetable Country (Isuna had great fun with that name) both Minato and Yashino picked up on something very, very disturbing. Minato because he had trained hour upon hour with his chakra and sensing it had become second nature to him, and Yashino because that skill was one they would practice in the ANBU. Somewhere behind them there was a battle going on, one where chakra was being used. They could feel the spikes of chakra as it was used. From the different signatures Minato would say there were six, but that made no sense to him. Apparently it did for Yashino though, for he was swearing angrily under his breath.

"Hurry up, we need to get moving quickly," he instructed them, and Misuri blinked in surprise but followed him and ushered the rest on with a gesture of her hand. Minato overheard their discussion, which was hurried and not so subtle.

"What's with the sudden urgency?" she asked him irritated. At this speed they would tire out their charges and she couldn't imagine what Yashino had in mind.

"We're being followed. I was afraid this could happen, but I didn't have the time to cover it up more than I did," Yashino answered curtly. Minato could tell he was angry and worried.

"Cover what up?" Misuri asked with a frown.

Yashino eyed her for a moment, before he reached over to his right shoulder with his left hand and tapped it once. Her eyes widened shortly in understanding as they darted between him, Minato and back where they came from.

"So what is following us?" she asked even if she did have a good idea.

"Hunter ninja. If they operate in teams it is always in teams of three and one tracker, making up a group of four. The Vegetable patrols are made up of the daimyos guards and two ninja on each patrol, making the total of chakra signatures six. Any other country would use teams of four and a tracker if they are bringing one, making a group of five. The only other country who might follow our track is Rain, but they wouldn't have any busyness with us since we never crossed the border. Vegetable wouldn't fight their own patrol, and if it is ninja with some other loyalty we won't have to worry. Though, I prefer not to take that chance."

"You know, that isn't a half bad theory, but it could be some random team of four," Misuri pointed out.

"Yeah, and I am a paranoid ex – ANBU so deal with it," Yashino scoffed. At that Misuri snorted and nodded towards his shoulder.

"That tattoo is still there. What did you do to think they'd be following us?"

"Just some information gathering…. I am pretty sure they were able to piece together who would have done it, considering the ability to cast genjutsu with the eyes is rather limited to individuals of a certain clan in a certain village."

"Why not kill the target?"

"In the middle of the chunin exam? I think they would have gotten suspicious if someone went missing during that time. Better that they fell into a coma from what looked like a small accident, but with my luck he had to wake up, right?"

"What do we do about it?" Misuri asked when she realized discussing this wouldn't get them anywhere. Yashino shook his head and glanced back at the genin following them, and at Minato, who was listening to them with a neutral expression on his face. Yashino was surprised to see the calm in those blue eyes, as if Minato was used to being chased. Maybe it was from all of the C – ranked missions they had done, even if that was stretching the value of that experience.

"We'll see how far we get before the next dawn. The border is only two days away if we'd followed the original plan, and they won't follow us there. That could spark a new war, and at the moment that isn't something the Mizukage would want, or be able to afford."

"Yashino, this isn't your ANBU team," Misuri said and the Uchiha gave her a sharp glare in response.

"I am fully aware of that. That is why I am saying we'll see how far we get by dawn, and if we have to the two of us will intercept the Hunters," he said abruptly. Minato's eyes widened at that. He knew very well what that could lead to. He'd seen it done, and the people who did it rarely made it out alive. Unconsciously he sped up, hoping with all his heart that they'd be close to the borders by dawn.

The night was starlit, with a close to full moon. It wasn't full yet though; it was missing a thin sliver at one side, making it look oddly lopsided. They ran the entire night and when if their hearts hadn't been beating so hard in their chests the only sound they would have heard were the breaths of the others and the small thuds their feet made against the ground. The rushing of the wind in their airs further served to dampen any other sound.

Minato was nearly gasping for breath when they stopped. His throat was aching and felt raw, and he was shaking with exertion. A thin layer of sweet covered his exposed skin, making him shiver in the early morning air. Yashino looked around them, from the rising sun to the field they were standing on. It was only a few hours away from the Fire country border and they could already see the first trees which were the start of the great forest covering their homeland.

"Sensei?" Minato questioned brokenly between his gasps. Misuri had nodded to him, as if agreeing to something unspoken between them and left to say something to her students. Minato gazed up at Yashino, who kneeled down in front of him and ran a hand over his hair. It was a strange gesture, almost like he wanted to comfort a child and not sure of how to do it.

"Minato, you have to take the others back to Konoha, can you do that for me?" he asked and rested his hand on Minato's shoulder. The boy blinked, not wanting to believe what Yashino was saying.

"But, sensei…. We are almost there. It is only…."

"I know, Minato, I know how close we are, but right now that is how far away we are. You need to travel as fast as you can, to get as far into Fire Country as possible while we delay them. You are the highest ranking ninja among you guys, so you will have to take responsibility for their lives and make sure they all make it back to Konoha, right?"

Minato felt his eyes and throat burn, and this time it had nothing to do with running all night. He nodded with closed eyes and felt himself being engulfed in a warm hug.

"Don't cry. I'm not dead yet, am I? I'll do my best not to end up dead either, so you be brave and do what every chunin of Konoha would do. Make sure your team gets home safely, okay?"

Minato nodded against his shoulder, not willing to let go of him just yet. He grabbed tightly on to Yashino and wanted to cry, but he knew what Yashino said was true. He shouldn't mourn them before they were dead, and they might even get out of it alive. Yashino hummed softly before he ran a hand through Minato's hair again.

"Minato, I have something for you to take back to Konoha with you."

Minato withdrew unwillingly from the embrace and looked on while Yashino pulled out two scrolls from one of the pockets on his west. One was a mission report, Minato recognized those, but it was a different color than he was used to. It was pitch black and he knew it was one of those missions that officially never happened. The 'black' missions of ANBU. Most of them weren't reported in a written form like this, they were delivered in person and only vocally. Yashino must have feared that something like this might happen since he had written the report down.

The other scroll was smaller and had intricate drawings of flowers on the outside, tightly held together with a dark blue ribbon. Yashino smiled as he handed it to Minato.

"It is your gift. I promised you one for keeping up with my company, remember?"

Minato took the two scrolls and smiled, or tried to but he still couldn't shake the feeling that Yashino, for all him saying he wasn't going to get killed here, was saying goodbye. The man hadn't let go of him, he still had one hand on his shoulder and eyed him with a small smile. He then shook his head lightly.

"I hope my nephew grows up to be like you. I am really happy I got to teach you, and I hope we'll meet back in Konoha for that party. If we don't… Minato I'll watch with the butterflies, right above you."

Minato looked into his eyes and saw his own reflection in their blank surface, and he realized Yashino was holding back his own tears. Tears he would never let fall, because he was never going to admit he was saying goodbye. He rose and ruffled Minato's hair one more time before they walked quickly over to the genin and Misuri. Yashino smiled reassuringly to Fugako, patted his shoulder and nodded to Minato.

"Hurry up now, you don't want them to show up before you are gone," Misuri said and the two jonin watched in silence as they ran away while mentally preparing to fight the Hunter nins from Mist.

Minato clenched his fists so hard he could feel the nails digging into his skin, but he preferred that sharp pain to the dull ache and fear he harbored in his heart. He watched the rest of his companions from behind, seeing their grim and exhausted expressions. They knew too that this could have been the last time they saw the two jonin. He pretended not to see Mikoto's tears, or the way Isuna was clenching his jaw. The sharp fangs granted by his Inuzuka heritage were embedded in his lower lip, causing a trickle of blood to run down his cheek. Shibi was as any Aburame: hard to read, and Fugako seemed to be staring straight ahead while seeing nothing at all. They were all exhausted, but they _would_ reach the safety of their own country.

Minato felt the first spike of chakra about two hours later. It was weak, since they had been running as fast as they could without stopping or hesitating. The different signatures continued to spike after that, sometimes mingling and sometimes quieting down as of withdrawing. He could sense some disappearing. Either the person was too wounded to continue, or he or she was dead. It hadn't stopped when they barreled over the border and took the treetops without a second thought. For them it felt safer up there- leaping from branch to branch also used less chakra than running with it did. It was only when they reached the first small road Minato discovered that he couldn't feel any of the chakra spikes anymore.


	14. In the Ashes Embers Glow

13.

Konoha at the evening was vastly different than Konoha at daytime or even Konoha at morning. Konoha at the evening was preparing for night and preparing for night in a hidden village wasn't like preparing for night at any other random village out there.

They would simply take out the trash, turn off lights, make sure the children were at sleep, and let the dog out to do its needed things before the night or chase the cat out of the house till morning. Simple small things and then go to bed peacefully. Konoha was not like that. In Konoha the coming of the darkness set off a whole chain of proceedings and, for those few who knew about it, missions. The cover of darkness was the best time to move for any team doing something in secrecy. Unfortunately anyone infiltrating the village while not undercover as a spy would think the same. Sabotage and sneak attacks were always a real possibility in a village that earned its living mostly by hire out mercenaries.

They did have a very good defense. It wasn't labeled a hidden village just to make the name longer to pronounce. A good defense, however, did not mean that no one could get in and do all sorts of damage if they didn't stop them. Naturally the village was patrolled and guarded as if they expected an army to suddenly jump them if they didn't look.

The civilians didn't notice much of this, of course. They might, if they looked for it, see a few of the ninjas in the village run across the rooftops or sitting on light poles overlooking a certain street or area. Sometimes they might even see one of the elusive ANBU operatives. More common was it for them to see the police patrol the streets. If they were lucky, depending on the situation, they might even get a glimpse of a red flash in the eyes of the Uchiha clan members making up the police force. Then they would know they had briefly seen the famous, or infamous considering which side you were on, bloodline limit that made them so efficient at keeping ninja under control.

Konoha at daytime was filled with civilians going about their daily lives, ninjas that weren't on missions, fresh genin teams and children playing in the streets. There would be lively discussions and gossiping women with little babies or elderly people doing what elderly people do best. Spend at lot of time at seemingly nothing and still manage to do a lot. There would be noises everywhere and people everywhere. Cats and dogs and horses pulling wagons and pigeons, hawks circling the sky above carrying messages and at times complete, utter and still ordered chaos.

At night it fell quiet. Still. Unmoving and eerie. Street cats would prowl the shadows between the houses; stray dogs would scavenge the trashcans. The birds settled down to rest the few hours of darkness until the sun would rise again. People disappeared from the streets to spend the rest of the day with their family at home. It was the time when the higher ranking missions started, when the true secrecy began and the village shoved its true face instead of that it showed the world during the day. In bright light everything looks good, but only darkness creates true shadows.

So when the team of ragged, out of breaths and exhausted children stumbled in the main gate just as the sun set and the last vestiges of the day's activities settled it drew a few curious looks from the lingering civilians, but gained the full and undivided attention of any ninja seeing them. They knew from experience that any team returning in that state could hardly bring any good news. Especially when they were genin, except for one, and lacking their teacher. There should have been at least one teacher with them, but no one was there. Only the gasping children and the desperate look reflecting in all of their eyes. It was not something good at all.

Minato stood stock still staring at the ground while the chunin guard at the gate tried to make sense of what was going on. He still held the decorated scroll tightly in one hand. He hadn't let go of it since Yashino gave it to him. Or more like put it in his hand and sent them on their way. He wasn't sure if he was able to let go of it anyway, with the way his hand refused to open. It was as if his body had frozen now that they had reached Konoha. They were safe and he had done as he promised and made sure they made it home safely.

Fugaku, Mikoto, Shibi, Isanu. He looked at each of them and noted how they were shaking where they stood. They were pale except for where the air had whipped their faces raw when they ran and from the exertion. He tried to control his own breathing by taking deep calm breaths. He wondered if he was shaking too and tried to find out, but all he did find out was that his muscles protested against the movement. He stared at the chunin again.

"We need to see the Hokage," he said finally, deciding that something had to be done and that the chunin wasn't likely to get something useful from his tired friends. They were shocked and scared and, for lack of a better word, a little lost. Their exam had turned into a nightmare that just continued and continued. He clenched his hand around the decorated scroll harder than before and silently started to walk away not caring if the chunin would let them or not. Fugaku looked at the gate guard with a deep frown on his face, turned around without another glance and followed Minato. The blonde tilted his head a little when the older boy caught up with him.

"He wasn't about to do something. If they're going to have a chance at helping at all a team needs to leave now," Fugaku said blankly. His voice didn't betray him but the stiff glare did. Minato nodded silently. He understood the need to hope until the end. He had never had family, but he had had plenty or friends that he considered family and he knew the need to believe they were alive until it was undeniably that they were not.

"Idiot guard," Isanu scoffed from behind them, with some noise they interpreted as agreement from Shibi. Mikoto didn't say anything, but the reflexive way she was moving her lips with no sound told of her inner turmoil. Minato felt sorry for them. He was sure he would've been deeply shocked and troubled if he hadn't had his extra years of life and thus extra years of experience. All in all he felt they were taking it well. Nearly too well, but they had grown up during a war and they were from clans. They had been conditioned to this life since before they could remember. He wasn't sure what he felt about that, but for all Konoha wanted their children to remain children and not little tools they were short on ninja and needed them to grow up fast.

Minato wondered if things would have turned out differently in the future of they had had the same will to condition his generation. They had gotten away easily, much thanks to Itachi killing off his clan and it being blamed on him losing his sanity. He was a child prodigy and the people deciding those things were certain he had been thrown into ninja life too early and to make sure it didn't happen again they started to protect the children from the life they would later live. The only one who didn't was Danzou and even if Minato would rather chop off his left leg than admit to agree with him in anything he hadn't sugarcoated anything. Sai was enough proof that what Danzou did was wrong too, but there had to be middle; somewhere both sides met and could be joined. He certainly would never try to coddle his children, if he ever had someone. He had seen what that led to and he wouldn't stand for it.

Minato blinked. When had he started to think like that? Was it form all the time he had spent with the Uchiha clan? He shook his head clean of the thoughts and nearly sighed in relief as the Hokage tower came into view. He was glad to see it, more than he could ever explain and hoped beyond hope that the old man who wasn't so old yet could do something. Though, realistically it wasn't likely they were alive anymore. They had bid their good bye and done what they had to do. Their names would adore the memorial and he would be one of those who came with flowers and traced their names with his fingers, wondering if they still watched over him from above.

He felt detached. It was as if what went on around him didn't register and he had gone numb and all he could do was to stand there and look blankly at the Hokage's secretary who wore a put off expression at them. He could barely see the faint traces of irritation on the woman's face. It was in the way her lips pressed a little harder against each other, the way the corners of her mouth turned minutely downwards, the way her eyes narrowed a friction, the small wrinkling of her nose and the way she let out her breath as if she calmed herself. She was not happy about having an emergency meeting at her hands, not when she was moments from being able to leave her workplace and go home to whatever life she had there.

"_What _may I do for you this evening?" she asked in an overly sweet tone. Yup, she was annoyed Minato decided. Perhaps she had children she wanted to get home to. A quick scan of her revealed a woman in her late twenties or early thirties with light brown hair, teal colored eyes and a round face. She was dressed practically for her job and had neatly manicured hands with a gold wedding ring. Minato tilted his head a little. He was no expert on women, but when they were married they usually at some point had children, and she was old enough to have one or two. There was nothing outwardly pointing to it, so if she did have children they weren't infants anymore.

"We need to see the Hokage. It is important," he said flatly. The secretary muttering something about it always being important but none the less went to knock on the correct door. They stood in front of her desk, looking at the filled up out tray with papers and the empty in tray. There were several sheets on her desk, together with pens and a small amount of gadgets that always cluttered peoples' desks.

Minato wasn't sure why he was noticing all these things now. When he was young… When he was a child the previous time, he had never cared to take stock of what the old man's secretary had on her desk or what she wore or they way she acted. She was simply another person there. Nothing more. This time, however, he had noticed all the small things about her and her desk and wondered if it was because this time he'd been thought to do it and he felt threatened with the numbness spreading in his body and refusing to go away. It was all too easy to fall back on the mindset he'd had before he was deposited in the past by a selfish old demon with dubious motives.

Before he could pin point his concern the secretary was back. She looked a little exasperated.

"Go right in. The Hokage is waiting for you," she said and went to her desk where she pulled out a deck of cards. Obviously it wasn't the first time she had to stay longer than intended. The sound of her flipping the cards at the desk was the only sound following their footsteps as they slowly entered the office. Neither of them had really been in the Hokage's office. Minato had, of course, but that was in a different time and sort of different place. The room where the missions were handed out didn't really have the same feeling of constricted power as the Hokage's office. As genin they weren't usually called here unless under special circumstances. It was natural for them to be nervous and a little unsure as to what to do, but they followed the lead of Minato, since he seemed have some sort of idea as to what he was doing.

Minato stared straight at the Hokage when he entered the room. He hadn't seen him outside of the mission briefing room since the first time they met in this time so he knew he had to act formal here. It was the kind of thing you just have a gut feeling of, that something is required and you don't really know _why _but you do it anyway because it feels right. He walked in front of the desk and bowed and waited for the elder to acknowledge them.

"I take it something has happened."

The grave voice was very different from the kind tone he'd used with Naruto, Minato noted distantly. It was more like the tone Jiraiya had used when talking about the Akatsuki and trying to make him take the threat seriously. Now he knew it wasn't something he could easily brush off. Of course, he had known that way back then as well, but not like he did now. Then he'd been worried about what would happen to _him _if they caught him and angry at the unfairness of it all. He hadn't asked for any of it and neither had any of the others they killed. Later, when he came back from his training trip, he had understood that the threat was far more; it was against the entire world. He still wasn't sure what he ought to do about it this time around.

He pushed the unwelcomed thoughts away. It wasn't the right time to be contemplating the future and he knew they couldn't use the nine tailed fox for whatever they were planning. Mainly because the giant old leach didn't have all his nine and oh so wonderful tails attached anymore. The stray thought nearly made him smirk but he held it back and with his free hand found the black scroll Yashino had asked him to bring back. The Hokage's eyes hardened upon seeing it, while the four children that had somehow become his friends during this endeavor, because there was no way he couldn't call them friends after this, drew a sharp breath each and tried to get a better look of the scroll.

Not that there was much to see. It was a scroll. It was black. It was held together with a seal. Nothing more, nothing less. Minato put it on the desk and met the sharp dark eyes of the man known as the Professor. He knew the Hokage had already figured out that something bad had happened, probably from the moment the disheveled genin walked into his office looking as if they'd just ran a marathon with the dogs of hell on their heels. Somehow that description weren't as far from the truth as Minato would like it to be.

"Sensei told me to hand this to you," he said and was surprised at how young he sounded. Within his mind he had almost expected to hear his deeper, grown up voice. He certainly didn't feel like a child at the moment. He felt just as old, if not older, than the young adult he'd been when he was forcefully put into a different existent. It was strange, but he had managed to act like he was just a slightly more grown up and responsible child than what was the norm, but as soon as they were back in the forest with the pursuers after them he'd snapped back… even with all the years as a child his mind had reverted back to where it had been.

"I see. I would like to hear what you know of it, and what happened," Sarutobi said seriously. Minato gazed at the others with a considering look. He then met the expectant look of the Sandaime Hokage.

"We were heading back from the chunin exam when we were pursues by what sensei thought were Hunter nin from Mist. He said something about not having time to cover it up better and not wanting to cause uproar by killing someone. He said the information he found is in the scroll, and when we couldn't shake the pursuers off he and Misuri sensei decided to intercept them to…" he hesitated for a moment. He didn't like to say this. He so did not want to say it, because he knew, like with every other thing that happened, it always became more real when you accepted it and spoke it out loud.

"…to delay them or permanently stop them from pursuing us," he finished shortly. In his dull mind he wondered if the reason Yashino hadn't killed whoever it was that had woken from the coma inducing genjutsu was more because he, when faced with the need to kill again simply couldn't bring himself to do it when it wasn't absolutely necessary. He had heard some ninja sometimes reached a point where they couldn't do it anymore and quit. He wondered if that was what had happened with Yashino. He wondered if that would happen to him some day.

The Hokage didn't show what he was thinking but rose quickly and went to say something to the secretary. The five children in the office heard him talk, but the words were muffled by the door. When he came back he had a slightly pensive look. Minato blinked at him and fastened his eyes on a spot on the wall behind the desk. If the room insisted on tilting every other way he insisted on keeping his balance. At least until this was done and over with.

"Where did you part ways?" the Hokage asked and this time it was Shibi who answered.

"By the border between Vegetable, Fire and rain," he said. His monotone was strangely broken by the urgency in those words and Minato suddenly understood that he still hoped Misuri sensei was alive. He could understand that. If not he would have lost both a team mate and his sensei in this unpleasant exam. As if the Hokage read his thoughts he spoke and Minato could feel his resolve to stay on his feet waver.

"You are lacking two of your team mates. Did they stay to aid your teachers?"

The silence following that question spoke volumes.

"They were killed in the exams," Fugaky finally offered in a tone that, if the man hadn't been the Hoakge and used to deal with both clan head and clan heirs, would have kept him from asking anything else. Minato shifted a little and found the scroll the Mizukage had handed him. Without a word he placed it on the desk with a small bow and stepped back. The floor swung alarmingly under him from the small movement, but he held on a little longer. Behind him Fugaku supported Mikoto, and Shibi was swaying on his feet.

"The exam was… surprisingly violent," Minato said with a small grimace. Undoubtedly the Hokage would hear about that soon enough, if it wasn't already apart of the information provided in the black scroll. The Hokage nodded and carefully opened to scroll Minato had just placed in front of him.

"It seems congratulations are in order, young one. It is no small feat becoming a chunin at your age," he said and Minato wondered what he was supposed to do now. He was pretty sure that if he moved he'd pass out, because the strange tilting of the world around him didn't stop and he still felt numb all over. Even his mind felt numbed.

"Thank you," he ventured tentatively. He took a deep breath and forced his eyes to stay open. At least he tried to. He knew he fell to the floor. It isn't that hard to realize you are falling even if you aren't all there, but it was blurry and all he could feel was a strange prickling sensation throughout his body.

When he next woke he was at the hospital. He could tell from the way it smelled and from the feeling of the sheets. Nowhere else did the sheets manage to feel cold against his skin despite him laying on them and literally radiating heat. When he opened his eyes it was even daylight in the room. The curtains were drawn to the side of the window and a very annoying and loud yelling was heard from the next door room. In retrospect he was pretty sure that was what had woke him up.

It was a woman, and she was currently angry enough to make the entire hospital aware of her current pregnancy, which by the sound of it was welcomed but not at all planned. When he concentrated the woman and the person she was angry with, hopefully the father of her child, they weren't even in a room but in the hallway outside of his room. He frowned. That wouldn't do.

He experimentally moved a little to see what he'd broken or injured this time, but nothing felt wrong aside from a lingering weariness. It was an alien feeling and he didn't at all like it. As soon as he found out what it was he would make sure never to feel like it again if it was possible. Especially if it was what had made him pass out. True he'd been tired but that was ridiculous.

He climbed out of the bed to inspect the boring and plain light blue pajama the nurses had outfitted him in. There really wasn't much else to say about it and he carefully trotted around the bed to look at his charts. It was interesting only if you understood what they said, and having had enough previous experiences with the hospital, or at least waking up in an improvised hospital somewhere in the waste forests of Fire Country, he knew enough to understand what it said. Personally he wondered if he should think of it as a novelty considering that he had never ever suffered this particular, but more or less common, ninja defect before. Chakra exhaustion. How had that happened?

He turned to the door when the yelling didn't stop. This was going to get annoying. Here he was trying to figure out a puzzle that might or might not save his or someone else's life one day and she was still going on about why this guy had to get her pregnant at such an inopportune moment. Huffing he went over and flung the door open to glare at the couple.

"Congratulation, I am certain you'll raise a wonderful child when he or she is born. I wish you both all the luck in the world and I do understand it may or may not be a large change of your relationship, not to mention your lives, but there really is no reason why all of Konoha has to be informed," he said with his best 'I am a very wise nine year old' smile and all the patience he could muster. Both of the adults stopped whatever they were going to say to look dumbstruck at him. He couldn't blame them.

There he was, in his standard blue hospital pajama, blonde hair all over the place and messy from sleep, blue eyes serious and hands on his hips like some exasperated mother catching her children arguing. And he was nine years old. He felt a twitch forming when they suddenly started to look at each other and fighting to keep back their laughter. It was at that moment that he noticed them, apart from their voices. He blinked.

The resemblance was startling, to say the least. He wasn't sure what he was going to do about it, apart from ignoring the part of him which wanted him to lit up in a sunny smile, jump his sensei and scream for joy before being put firmly on the ground so he could dance around wildly. Another part of him commented dryly that no, it wasn't his sensei. Two very important things were lacking, or not like it should be. For one, the silver haired man in front of him didn't have a mask on, and his sensei wouldn't have been caught dead without it. The second was his forehead protector which wasn't places across his eye but rather in the tradition place across the forehead.

"I say, it isn't every day you are reprimanded by a child," the man intoned humorously. The woman stifled a small chuckle.

"He is right, though. Did we disturb you?" she asked and bent a little as if talking to a small child. Minato frowned at her. She had the same crinkling of her eyes as his sensei had had. It was annoying and he stepped back with a frown on his face. He did not want to be treated like some five years old. Sure he looked young, but damn he was nine already.

"In fact you did. I was trying to figure out why I am suffering chakra exhaustion," he said and frowned again. He had to figure out why that had happened, and if it had happened to the rest of the ragtag group that had returned alive. Not to mention find out if either Yashino or Misuri were still alive, even with the chances for that being rather small and next to nonexistent. The adults blinked at him.

"I thought the teachers at the Academy kept an eye on their students so that wouldn't happen," the man said to his… wife? Girlfriend? Sometimes bed partner? Minato really didn't know what they were. Neither wore a ring, so he assumed husband and wife wasn't it. She got an indignant expression.

"We do! It can be really dangerous for children to overload their chakra coals."

She looked at him with a chastising face.

"Weren't you listening when you were told not to train at home if you started to feel tired from using your chakra? You really should try to listen to your instructors. We are there for a reason, and when we tell you to do something or not to do something it isn't because we want to hold you back but because we know what we are doing."

Minato stared at her as she went on about the dangerous world of the ninja and how important it was to follow orders and instructions so things like this might be avoided. After all, in the field it could be his life on the line. He listened silently to her rant, while considering the man beside her. He seemed to have realized something by the look of suppressed laughter in his eyes. Minato raised an eyebrow at him before he glanced behind him. The door to his room was open behind him, and the bed and the small bedside table were both visible from where they stood. The man had most likely seen the forehead protector on there and let his friend… whatever, go on to make a fool of herself. Minato had to wonder of he found it amusing to tick the future mother of his child off.

He tilted his head a little to the side to take a better look at him. Of course, he knew who he was. At this point he was still a well known, well respected shinobi in Konoha. In fact, he was one of the best. Sometimes during the next ten years that would change and in the process profoundly fuck up the life of his son.

"You are the White Fang," Minato said and broke off the rant the woman was in. Both of them looked oddly at him. He smiled at them.

"Sensei told me about you," he answered the unasked question. It was true as well, though he didn't say which of his sensei it had been. Something told him they wouldn't have believed him if he did.

The man looked at the woman and smirked deviously as what Minato had said slowly dawned on her.

"You're… are a ninja?" she asked slowly and Minato couldn't help but grin at her.

"I graduated two years ago. I passed my chunin exam not long ago."

That made both of them stare at him, and feeling a little uncomfortable he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He tried to make them focus on something else.

"You are the White Fang?" this time he voiced it as a question, so they had to answer. The man dipped his head a little, curiosity stirring in his eyes.

"I am. Say, who's your teacher? He shouldn't let a chakra exhaustion go this far, even if you've a chunin now."

Minato carefully blanked his expression. This was not what he'd wanted to talk about, but it was better than being stared at.

"Uchiha Yashino, and we weren't training. We were running from Hunter nins from Mist."

There was a terse silence.

"I did wonder what he'd gotten himself into… well, I'm sorry kid. I'm afraid he was killed. It's all over the village by now, but if you've been sleeping off chakra exhaustion you probably haven't heard yet."

Minato met his brown eyes with his own blue and stared at him for awhile.

"I knew the chances were small for them to survive… but thank you for telling me anyway."

The woman looked mildly uncomfortable as she gazed between them. Apparently she was an instructor at the Academy and probably not someone used in the field very often. If so, she probably never had to leave someone to die in a battle they had little chance of winning and couldn't decipher the silent understanding passing between them.

"I'm Hatake Sakumo, and this is Etsuko, my…" he trailed off, clearly not entirely sure what to label her himself. Minato just watched as they silently spoke with their eyes and agreed.

"friend," they said together, and Minato suppressed the urge to smirk at them. Did they think him that gullible?

"I am Namikaze Minato. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said and smiled at them knowingly.

"Ah, Sakumo I see you have met our newest chunin," a cheery voice spoke and all three of them turned to see the Hokage observe them with a large smile. Minato hummed and greeted him politely.

"You mean he really is a chunin?" Etsuko asked a little unsettled by the idea. The Hokage gave smiled brightly.

"He most certainly is. The Mizukage was certainly impressed enough with him to pass him. I am looking forward to see what else young Namikaze may do as he grows," he said with a firm smile and nod to Minato.

The blonde considered the adults for a moment before he asked a question that had bothered him since he woke up.

"Hokage – sama, would you mind telling me how long I have been asleep? I don't think the nurses have discovered me awake yet, or they would certainly swarm me, but I would like to know."

"Two days, but you shouldn't be alarmed. Your friends are in a similar state. It is to be expected since I think you set a new speed record for a genin team from the border to Konoha. You must have been running very fast to keep the same speed as the ANBU, and with much smaller chakra reserves."

Minato frowned. That wasn't what he had expected to hear, but it did explain what had happened. The numbness and the dizziness… it was his body telling him he was running out of chakra. So… disappointing. His chakra reserves were still too small it seemed. He just didn't get it. He had fought in the exams and seemingly used more chakra there than it took to run… all day and all night? Hardly. They had used chakra to enhance their speed too… not just to cling to the trees and branches. It did explain it, but he didn't have to like it. If he was to fulfill his goals he needed larger reserves or his carefully constructed plan would go down the drain.

"I also come to inform you formally of the death of your sensei and tell you that the Uchiha clan extends an invitation for you to take part in their private funeral tomorrow," the Hokage continued when he saw that Minato had registered everything he'd said first. Minato snapped his eyes to his, perfectly aware that they weren't alone or he would have asked why the burial was private. Instead he only nodded thoughtfully.

"Thank you," he said softly and for a moment he couldn't help but remember all the previous funerals he had attended. Including the one for the healthy man in front of him.

He stood there with the eyes of them on him and wondered what a strange thing it was indeed, that he had just lost one sensei and learned of the creation of another… that was too bizarre and he turned on the spot, padded back to the bed and decided that he would sleep some more. Perhaps his sudden headache would go away if he did.


	15. A Day in Life

A short notice up here before the next chapter, just to annoy=P I am terrible sorry for the time it took me to update the last chapter, and if anyone paid attention you might, or might not, have noticed that it was jotted down in a hurry. Neither of these two chapter has been read over by a beta, so please bear with the mistakes. my shedule became extremely filled when I was allowed to move again, especially since I had to catch up on everything I missed when immobile. That said, this chapter isn't overly exciting but a sort of rounding up the last part of this part of the story.

Ah, and someone (sorry, I accidentally deleted that PM) asked me what my favorite song is. I don't know why that should matter at all, but I don't really have one, but many including Behind Blue Eyes by the Who, Wishmaster by Nightwish and Six Feet from the Edge by... I think it is Creed. For whatever reason you asked, I hope that satisfied your curiosity.

* * *

14

A day in life

Minato signed the last paper releasing him from the hospital and pushed it silently over the desk to the nice lady smiling at him.

"Take care and remember not to do anything too strenuous for the next twenty – four hours!" she reminded him as he left. He shook his head. He had no intentions of doing anything strenuous at all. He had a funeral to look forward to and that isn't the sort of thing that makes anyone run wild with excitement. He was in half a mind to visit Akane and Obito, but remembered that it was already late and they were most likely preparing for the funeral. While he was sure Akane and Shion would be happy to see him he wouldn't like to impose on them at the moment. They needed some time for themselves before the funeral after all. They would hear enough variations of the question 'how are you doing?' tomorrow and what could he possible achieve by going there at this time of the day? Nothing much, and to add to that he wasn't sure what he would say or do when he got there, so he walked home.

He stopped at outside his apartment to listen to the apartment next door, but it sounded as if the Uzumaki cousins were out, based on the fact that he couldn't hear anything from their apartment at all. Usually he would hear Kushina yell at Kaero for something he had pulled off, usually pissing her off intentionally, and Kinuto, if he wasn't sleeping after a mission, would be trying in vain to settle them before he swore up a storm and separated the physically. Minato quirked his lips and shook his head. Their differences aside, the cousins loved each other unconditionally and he knew they considered him part of their family as well. He would have to spend some time with them soon; he hadn't had much time to do that lately what whit the training Yashino had put him through before the exam.

The apartment needed to be dusted he decided with a frown. It was a thin layer of dust covering the floor and the furniture and the windowsills and even his plants, which looked slightly under the weather. He gathered them up and placed them in the sink before filling it with water and watching the bubbles from the pots as the water soaked the dry earth. The silence of the evening made him wander around restlessly and occasionally he would swipe his hands over a surface to get rid of the dust. With nothing else to do he started to methodically clean it and finally settled himself cross – legged in a chair. The only sound in the apartment was the ticking of a clock and the faint sounds he could hear from the village. It was dusk and he expected the cousins to be back any time now.

Sometimes Kinuto would take his two young relatives and train them, or just spend time with them. Minato had joined them on occasion and it was fun. Kaero was smart and surprisingly sadistic if it was something he wanted to achieve while Kushina was obnoxious at times but still fun – loving, strangely oblivious to many things and always had a comment to brighten the day. Kinuto was the calm element to ground them and remind them not to get into too much trouble, at least he would until he lost his patience and knocked them both down a peg or two. Whenever they had their little excursions they would usually leave at dawn and not be back before dusk; dirty, tired and happy. For some reason Minato wished he could have joined them more than he usually did.

He hated waiting. It was annoying and while he could understand waiting was important sometimes, especially in certain kinds of missions, he didn't like it. It made him want to wander around, find something else to do with his time and just… fill the spare time. Rising from his position he smiled widely when he remembered where his stash of sweats was and quickly went to get it. It felt like forever since he had a decent amount to snack on.

He chewed it slowly staring at the sky and waiting for it to lose its blue hue and become a mixture of orange, pink and red. He had always found it to be beautiful and remembered Yashino asking him to watch the stars with him back in the Mist. He smiled faintly. As if it was any chance of seeing the stars through that dense mist. Even a child could see through that excuse, but… He sighed and suddenly he didn't fell like eating sweats and instead went to get some water for tea.

While waiting for the water to boil he mentally went over all the things he had to get in the morning. He would need to bring some flowers; some for the grave and some for Akane and Shion. He would need to go over his black funeral clothes. It was expected that he wore them at any funeral he attended for a fellow Leaf ninja. Unless he was ANBU. ANBU didn't officially show up at a funeral. They would hide in the shadows if it was one of theirs and wait visiting the grave until they were alone. Then they would pay their respects and leave, as if never being there in the first place. No one was to know who served in ANBU so it made a twisted kind of sense. Twisted in the way that usually people did know, well, those close to the person in question would know, and some fellow comrades, but it was never talked about. Never discussed. Not officially. Unofficially… that was another story. He promised himself to keep an eye out for them at the funeral. He was quite sure they would be there, invited or not.

The tea didn't help his restlessness either and made him want to do something even more. Ironing his black clothes for the funeral wasn't necessary, but it occupied him and it was a mindless job. He didn't have to think about it and it suited him just fine. He had other things to worry about, like what was in the scroll Yashino had given him. He had been close to opening it several times, but he didn't want to. Not yet. Not until after the funeral. He wanted… he wasn't sure what he wanted but it felt right to wait until after the funeral. Then he would have said good bye and it would be easier.

Just as he folded up the pants he heard the sound of fast footsteps in the stairs leading up to the two apartments. A quick glance at the sky outside revealed that he had been correct in assuming they would be back at dusk and he wondered if they would be coming by now that he was back. A part of him wanted them to, while another part desperately told him the hospital staff had told him not to do anything strenuous and dealing with the two younger Uzumaki cousins could be_ very_strenuous. The amount of exuberant energy they had combined by far outstripped anything he had ever managed to produce in his childhood as Naruto.

Just as he started to weigh the pros and cons by having them over against each other the solution was handed to him in form of a knock on his door. It seemed as if he wouldn't have a choice in the matter. Looking around to make sure he didn't have anything they could find overly interesting laying about he went to open the door. Three red heads smiled back at him, with various amounts of bruises and dirt smudged over their clothes and faces.

"Welcome back, Minato. How's it going?" Kinuto asked kindly, gaining a disbelieving look from Kushina and Kaero.

"Who cares about that? Did you pass or not?" Kushina asked eagerly. Kaero nodded his agreement and Minato smiled. Yes, they were always the ones to have the priorities right.

"I passed. Would you like to come in, or stay out here?"

Kaero gave him a calculating look.

"Will you make us supper if we come in?" he asked hopefully and was promptly knocked on the head by Kinuto.

"I see I'm not teaching you enough manners," he mumbled almost resigned.

"Congratulations on passing, and don't mind Kaero. I think he'll be… doing the laundry for a week by himself as punishment," he continued sternly. The boy winced and gave his cousin an affronted glare. Kushina beamed and Minato shook his head, too used to their antics to care.

"Well, thanks and I can make supper. I haven't eaten yet either, so feel free to join me."

He stepped back to let them through, and Kushina and Kaero headed straight for the bathroom to wash off the worst of the muck they had accumulated during the day. Kinuto stopped just inside the door and put a hand on Minato's shoulder. His eyes were on the black, folded clothes he'd been ironing earlier.

"I'm sorry to hear about your sensei… I didn't know him, but I heard he was a great person," he said hesitantly, clearly not sure how Minato would take it. The blonde only nodded and smiled softly.

"Yeah, he was. I'll miss him…"

Kinuto had a nostalgic look in his eyes when he answered.

"That's true. I still miss my sensei, even after all these years, but that's how it is. I am grateful for what he thought me and one day I may teach a trio of brats what he thought me. It's a cycle, you know."

Minato raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you were teaching Kushina and Kaero?" he half asked a he moved towards the kitchen to prepare the food. Behind him Kinuto chuckled.

"I am… but not that sort of thing. There is something you can only learn from a sensei while in the field. The first kill… dealing with the rush of adrenaline… fear, exhaustion, things like that. Just to deal, really. It isn't something I can teach them before they experience it, and by then it will be their sensei's responsibility."

Minato understood. It wasn't techniques or strategy, it was more than that. He knew if he thought about it, that Kinuto had a point and silently accepted it with a nod. The teen smiled at him and went to join his younger cousins in the bathroom and to break up a fight over the soap.

They had an enjoyable supper together and Kinuto didn't bring up the death of Yashino again. Minato knew he wouldn't ever do it unless it somehow became a part of a discussion. Apparently Kushina and Kaero hadn't heard yet or they would be all over him, and he wasn't in the mood to be smothered by them. He liked them and enjoyed their company but to him they were still children who didn't understand. They did understand the pain of losing someone dear to him, but they compared it to losing their parents, since that was the only reference they had. It was different, losing a sensei and a comrade in battle. They would learn, in time, and it would make them or break them.

Kushina was going on about the upcoming team placements with excitement. Minato hummed at the appropriate places but didn't say anything until he could tell Kaero and Kinuto were about to tell her to shut up. He didn't want to know how many times they had been given the same animated speech, so he interrupted.

"You will need to bring something to read during the team placement," he said and effectively made her pause. He smirked mirthfully.

"Or bring a deck of cards… the teacher will have a long and winding speech about the virtues you are supposed to possess as Konoha ninja and it takes forever to get done with."

"Did you bring something?" she asked suspiciously. She had learned not to believe everything he told her, and some of it she didn't want to believe, like the truth of D - ranked missions. She never asked too much about the missions, though, probably from all the times Kinuto told her the missions of others were off limits. Sometimes they would talk about it, if it wasn't classified, but it was frowned upon to ask.

"I was never warned," he said blandly. Oh, he'd known, but had forgotten until it was too late. It was a good thing he'd by then learned how to tune out sounds he didn't want to hear. It also brought him back to the time he'd first met Yashino and the shock it'd given him. He still hadn't seen hide or hair of either Jiraiya or Tsunade. He hadn't seen the third member of their famous team either, but that didn't worry him in the least. He was actually perfectly ready to go through this life without seeing Orochimaru a single time. The less he saw of the pale, freaky and plain disturbing sannin the better.

At first he had been keenly aware of the lack of their presence and what it might mean. He knew by know that he would never have Jiraiya as a sensei, but it didn't mean he wouldn't be his mentor. He had to take up studying seals sometime after all, and Jiraiya was the only seal master in Konoha. He pondered that for moment. He didn't _have_to, naturally he didn't have to do anything, but if he wanted to at least try to recreate the famous Flying Thunder God technique he would have to have some pretty amazing insights in the workings of seals. It had been the signature move of the Fourth Hokage from his time and he had promised to try to live up to him so he had to give it a try. He couldn't imagine how it would be to have history lessons about the Fourth Hokage and not have the nickname Yellow Flash mentioned in the same sentence. It would be incredibly disappointing.

"Is it true?" Kushina asked Kinuto, who shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. I passed in Whirlpool, remember? But I think it is. They had the same speech there when we graduated so I guess it is pretty much the same in every hidden village."

"And then we'll be placed in teams," she said before she turned to Minato who was still thinking of the lack of legendary ninja in his life. He wasn't overly worried. Just a little.

"You weren't," she accused Minato, who blinked in response.

"Uh, no, I weren't. I was a special case, though. I am the youngest graduate they've ever had so they weren't sure of how to deal with me. They handed me over to the only ones who train their children heavily at such an age and I got an Uchiha for a sensei."

"That's so unfair. It isn't natural, I tell you," Kushina sighed and Minato would never tell her how right she was. Instead he raised an eyebrow.

"Are you suggesting I am some sort of alien being?" he asked in mock seriousness. She grinned at him.

"You never know. Perhaps. I might become a great medic one day and conduct experiments to find out," she joked and Minato chuckled. If she ever became a medic she would most likely invoke an irrational fear of hospitals in every patient unlucky enough to encounter her. Interrogation with medical equipment though was something he could picture perfectly with her love for anything sharp and shiny.

"I'll make a point to avoid the hospital," he bantered light heartily. For now they could enjoy the happy idle chatter and peace, even if he knew the troubles stirring elsewhere. The Mizukage's words rang in his ears, even know. Tomorrow the day. He had never paid any attention to history, especially if it was the history they thought at the Academy which was all dates and boring, flat facts. Stories from said wars were something else, but right now he wished he knew. Or maybe it was better not to know for sure. It made it easier to endure the waiting.

They talked while the evening slowly crept over in night before Kearo asked something Minato hadn't expected him to ask. Kaero was still eight years old and had at least two years left at the Academy, but he still asked the most insightful question of them all.

"Hey, Minato… when you become a ninja… you'll have to kill, right?"

It silenced them momentarily.

"Not at once," Minato said after a moment to collect his thoughts. Kaero frowned.

"Have you killed someone?" he asked and stared intently at him. Minato leaned back in the chair a little as Kushina too stared at him with large eyes. The idea of him killing someone had never struck her and he could tell she was curious and mildly alarmed. Kinuto didn't say anything, but his face had gone strangely serious. Nearly blank.

"Yes. Many times," Minato said slowly. Kaero narrowed his eyes and looked at him closely as if trying to see if there was some difference between him now and before. When he didn't find any he looked confused.

"But… I can't tell," he said and Minato wondered what on earth he was on about.

"…I hope not. Why would you want to tell anyway?"

"I heard someone talking, and they said killing someone can change you," he said wisely. Minato smiled a half smile.

"I can and it will but it isn't that kind of change. You'll understand someday… if you become a ninja."

"Of course I'll be a ninja! What else would I be?" the younger boy asked.

"Carpenter? Woodchopper?" Minato suggested loftily making Kushina snicker at the images.

"You would make a great farmer with all the potted plants you insist on keeping," Kinuto teased and stood up to stretch.

"Okay you two. I think it is time to go home and go to bed. I'm sure Minato would like to be able to go to bed as well."

From the tone he used they knew it wasn't any use arguing and they left promising to meet up soon. Minato was left cleaning up and wandered around waiting for the restlessness to settle. When the morning came he'd slept a few hours, but spent most of the time watching the dark sky through his bedroom window. When he did sleep he was troubled with the images of funerals long past, or maybe they would never happen as it was. Most of the people in them weren't even born yet. When the time came to get up he was anxious to get the day over with so he could move on.

The street in front of the Yamanaka's flower shop had never looked emptier as he stepped in front of it. He knew Inoichi would be heading to the Academy soon and he was about to open the door when he recognized another friend he hadn't seen for quite some time.

"Shikaku! What are you doing here?" he asked and the boy shrugged. He had both his hands deep in his pockets and slouched slightly. Sometimes the similarities between him and Shikamaru were eerie. It wasn't as much in the way he looked as in the way he acted. Shikamary had had quite a few features of his mother's as well, but the mannerisms were all from his father.

"Waiting for Inoichi… if someone didn't bring him he'd be late every single day and that would be annoying. Didn't Kushina come with you?"

Minato shook his head lightly. He had contemplated to walk with her, but he found it best not to interrupt the morning routine next door. It sounded chaotic enough without him there to disturb it. Shikaku eyed his black attire somberly.

"Are you here for flowers?" he asked and opened the door to let them in.

"Yes. I thought it would be the best place since I know Mrs. Yamanaka a little. She's a good person and won't ask too many questions."

"She's married to a ninja even if she's a civilian herself. She knows better than to ask," Shikaku agreed dismissively. He was right too. As soon as Mrs. Yamanaka spotted him her eyes widened minutely, but apart from that one couldn't tell she was affected by the black clothes. She smiled and greeted him as she usually did and waited for him to look around.

Minato discovered that he had minimal understanding of flowers. He did know some. He had read the book Kushina used for her Kunoichi classes, but it didn't cover nearly as many flowers and plants as the Yamanaka flower shop had. They had any color, shape and meaning. He knew white lilies were funeral flowers, and carnation but he didn't want any normal flowers. Somehow he didn't think Yashino and white lilies was the best combination. His sensei would've stared strangely at him if anyone tried to give him white lilies while he was alive, so he didn't think it was fitting. Mrs. Yamanaka watched him for a while before she approached him.

"Are you looking for flowers for Yashino?" she asked him quietly. She didn't need to ask, but it was the polite thing to do, so when he nodded she gave him a soft smile in return.

"What about the flowers from a butterfly bush with some white carnations?" she asked but didn't wait for an answer as she started to gather several thin branches with blue flowers at the tip and place them with the white flowers. Minato watch her work, and saw her frown several times before she narrowed her eyes in annoyance and went to get a dark, almost black rose.

"That's better," she said with some satisfaction and started to make another arrangement seemingly without thinking. Minato looked at her.

"You would want one for Akane and Shion too, right?" she asked him when she noted his questioning expression.

"Uhm," he mumbled under her sharp eyes and nodded. He'd just seen Inoichi stumble down the stairs from the apartment above the shop and watched as Shikaku, who had been waiting patiently by the door, gave him a baleful look. They would have to run if they were to be at the Academy in time. Outside Kushina and Kaero had just made it before the two boys exited. After so many years it seemed as if Inoichi and Kushina had worked out a perfect synchrony were both of them were late. Shikaku would try to get them there on time, but always ended up having to run for it, which he disliked. Thus his annoyance. Inoichi waved at Minato before he more or less ran out the door and Shikaku made some sort of half wave gesture that could be a wave with some goodwill.

"Boys! Always late," Mrs. Yamanaka huffed and shook her head then looked at Minato.

"Oh, not you dear, but those two are hopeless. Sometimes I really wish I'd gotten a girl instead… Perhaps Inoichi will have a girl…" she started to ring up the cost while muttering about a granddaughter and all the fun they could have, from dressing up to shopping and doing flower arrangements. Minato almost ran from the shop. When she started she was unrelenting and he felt for his friend if his mother had tried to do all those things with him. It was a universal fact that boys and girls almost always had some fundamental differences in interests and as pretty as Inoichi was he still was a boy.

Minato had been in the Uchiha compound too many times to keep track of, but this was the first time he really understood how many they were. Of course, they had to be many to fill up a compound of their own. He had never given it any thought before, but seeing them all together and lining up was interesting.

He left the flowers for Akane and Shion with a frazzled and stressed girl who thanked him on behalf of Shion and disappeared somewhere with them. It was a mess indoors he decided and quietly made his way to the garden. He had spent several hours here with Yashino and Akane, and sometimes little Obito. The baby was soon a year old toddler who found crawling around increasingly exciting and made the days of the household unnecessary interesting. He wasn't surprised to find Akane in the garden with Obito on her lap.

The small child was already dressed in black clothes with the Uchiha fan on the front of his t – shirt. He looked disgruntled as his mother refused to let go of him and didn't understand why so many people were visiting today and why he wasn't allowed to do what he wanted. Minato smiled briefly as he walked towards them.

"Hello Akane, Obito," he said and sat down beside them. The woman glanced at him and smiled. She looked more thoughtful than sad, so he guessed she had accepted what had happened to her brother.

"Minato. I am glad you came. Are the flowers for Yashino?" she asked him when he didn't say anything else.

"Yes. I had some for your mother too, but a girl said she'd take care of them. She chuckled when she recognized the flowers.

"From the butterfly bush. I wonder if anyone else will remember his fondness for butterflies. It is nice of you to do so. I guess he made you watch them for hours on end. If it was me I wouldn't have wanted to see another butterfly in my life."

"In hindsight I'll say it was a nice time," Minato mumbled and accepted Obito into his lap as the toddler crawled from his mother to him. Black eyes peered at him from behind spikes of equally dark hair. Minato bit his lip uncertainly and glanced at Akane. She was still looking at the blue flowers in the arrangement.

"May I still come visit you, sometimes?" he asked carefully. He was afraid of her answer, since he didn't want to be rejected but he would accept whatever decision she made. Akane looked surprised at the enquiry.

"Of course you may! I wouldn't want you to stop coming by, and I am sure Obito would be happy to someone else to play with from time to time. I know my mother want you to visit as often as possible. She said she was so proud when she heard you had passed the chunin exam, it was almost as if you were a grandchild of hers."

"Oh… thank you." he smiled genuinely at her and lifted the crawling toddler to place him back in his lap. The pout he received was more of a cute frown than pouting, so he snorted in amusement. Akane quirked her lips as well.

"He's got a long way to go before he get's that trademark Uchiha scowl down," Minato remarked jokingly. Akane raised her eyebrows and nodded sagely.

"We don't start the children on that before they are able to stand in front of a mirror without breaking it," she joked and rose as they heard a small bell chime.

"Have you attended a funeral before?" she asked him and took Obito, who had spotted the flowers and clearly thought them worthy of his attention since he had tried to lean over to get a bite of them.

"Not a private one…" and not an Uchiha one, but he didn't say that.

"Ah… our funerals are a little bit different. We don't burry our dead," she explained. As they walked Minato could see people nodding to her and silently expressing their condolences. He wondered where Shion was but what Akane just said made him look at her dumbly.

"You don't?"

"We cremate them."

Ah… that figures. For a clan were fire was the main element it made a lot of sense. Especially when a dead boy possibly could give away secrets about their bloodline. Better to burn it to ashes and make sure no one committed grave robbery. On the other hand, what on earth was he supposed to do with the flowers now?

He stood back as they gathered on a large open field. He could see a small shrine close by and in the middle a large pyre with a figure wrapped in white clothing on it. He kept to back and caught snitches of the speeches. A lot of glorified words that would be forgotten soon enough. Who did really remember what anyone said at a funeral? They always only focused on making the deceased look good, not real. He never did get that bit.

It quickly became warm and uncomfortable as the sun rose higher on the sky and bathed the field in bright, dazzling sunlight. Minato found it oddly strange that they were still not putting fire to the pyre, and didn't understand until the sun rose to its highest point and every shadow seemed to shrink in on itself. At that moment the pyre burst into flames, even as he tried to find out how they done it. One by one they started to throw their flowers at the flames, which engulfed the body and the wood greedily.

Minato stood in front of the fire for only a moment before he threw the flowers at it. He smiled briefly over his shoulder when he left. A soft, knowing smile.

"Farewell, sensei. I'll look for you among the butterflies, so you better keep your promise of watching over me."

He hung around some more to see if Shion or Akane and Obito would have moment where he could talk to them, but it seemed as if they were swamped by the rest of their clan and most of the other invited guests left shortly after the fire started to die down. To alleviate time and boredom he randomly wandered through Konoha while trying to come up with things to do. He was glad when he saw a familiar red head at a small stand where they served dango. It fit very nicely, as he wanted something sweet anyway. He smirked and silently started to sneak closer to his friend. When he stood so close that he could touch her if he reached out he met the eyes of two boy, possibly her team mates and winked at them.

"Kushina, I didn't know you shared my vice concerning sweets?" he said cheerfully. The girl jumped in her seat and abruptly turned to glare at him.

"What the hell Minato?! What was the point of that? You scared the life out of me! I swear my heart stopped for a moment!"

Minato laughed.

"It was too good of an opportunity to let go of. What are you doing here?"

"Eating dango with my new team," she said, sounding partly satisfied and partly disconcerted. Minato looked at them. He didn't know either of them by looks and he couldn't remember them from the small amount of time he'd spent in the same time as Kushina years ago.

"Sounds fun. Do you mind if I join you? I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast."

"Knowing you that was like before the sun rose," Kushina said grumpily but she did move aside to make space for him. She eyed him almost carefully.

"So… how was the funeral with the Uchiha clan?" she asked nonchalantly, making the two boys look at him with curiosity. He wondered if he should ask for their names, but Kushina would tell him in time, or they would give him their names if the chance presented itself.

"Hmm… sort of different I guess… it was okay. It was a funeral. Lots of people and speeches and socializing."

"For some reason I have problems imaging you socializing. You either train or, well, hang out with me and Inoichi."

Minato almost automatically corrected her.

"Inoichi and I, and I do spend time with Tsume and Shikaku as well as Kaero and Kinuto, and Akane, Obito and Shion…"

"I get it, I get it. Jeez, you don't have any sense of humor, do you know that?" she questioned as Minato tilted his head to the side and ignored her.

"I am sorry I haven't presented myself. I'm Namikaze Minato. I have the dubious honor of calling Kushina here a friend," he said and ducked as said friend aimed a hit at his head. She huffed at him and motioned at the two smirking boys. The one to the left had dark hair tied back in a ponytail and mismatched eyes. One was green and one was blue. Beside him said a round faced boy with blonde hair a few shades darker then Minato's and honey colored eyes.

"The one to the left is Isamu," Kushina said and the boy she indicated smiled at Minato.

"Pleasure to meet you," he intoned, in a voice a little deeper than Minato had expected from the thin frame and build he had. His hands weren't as calloused as the others' were and he didn't wear any obvious ninja equipment. Instead he had a larger pouch at his hip and what Minato assumed were senbon needles up his sleeves.

"Are you going to be a medical ninja?" he asked and the boy suddenly looked defensive.

"Something wrong with that? I know it is kind of girly, but I am good at it," he stated firmly.

"That's not what I meant. I was just curious. You don't look like the normal combat type, and I know for a fact that some of the most dangerous ninja out there are medics. No one knows as many creative ways of killing a victim as someone who has intimate understanding of the human anatomy."

It was something he'd heard plenty of times. If you understood what made something work, it was also easier to put it apart. A small touch from a medic nin could spell death if it was on the right spot. In that regard they were as deadly as the Hyuuga. He had his own experiences with Kabuto to go on, so he could testimony to the truth of that.

"My sister is a medic and she's awesome," the honey eyed boy said with a wide smile mingled with pride. Kushina rolled her eyes.

"Yeah yeah, you know you've been talking about her all day," she snapped at him, and the boy bashfully ducked his head. Minato wasn't sure what to make of him, but he couldn't say he disliked him. He was oddly familiar even when he was absolutely sure he'd never met him. Not in this life and not as Naruto. Kushina sighed deeply.

"I should never have said I wanted to become like them," she announced mournfully.

"Like who?" Minato asked with a nagging feeling that he was missing something here. An important fact he would like to have since his friend would be going on missions with this team.

"Like the sannin of course! Sensei is a pervert and annoying and late and dumb! And Tsunade has the most livid fan in her brother! So far the only normal one is Orochimaru!"

Minato choked on the water he'd just gotten and stared at her. It was the first time ever he'd heard Orochimaru and normal placed in the same sentence in all seriousness. Kushina ignored his shocked look and sadly shook her head.

"I am disappointed. I thought they were actually cool," she said with an air of depression around her. Minato stared at her in disbelief.

"Wait… do you mean that Jiriaya of the sannin is your sensei and you're disappointed?" he asked to avoid any suspicion of why he looked as if a ton of bricks had been dumped on his head.

"Yeah, and to top it that nitwit over there is Tsunade's brother, Nawaki. Whenever she comes over to see him, that stupid perverted sensei will forget we're there and only be interested in her, and Isamu and I will be completely left out!"

"It only happened once today. She came to see what team Nawaki was placed on, I don't think she'll be shadowing us. She is a busy person," Isamu intoned gravely. Minato smiled at the blond boy across the table from him. So this was the old lady's brother. How interesting that her perverted team mate would be the one to teach him… perhaps he would live this time around… He let Kushina continue her pity party and hid a smirk. He was sure, just as his team had done, that given some time they would come to accept and care for each other.

Later, when he looked at the setting sun he watched from the Hokage monument as the sky bled red. He wondered if it was a bad omen for times to come.

* * *

Hurray! Part genin of the story is over! Now I just have another three to go! The next chapter should be out in... oh, fourteen days, I think. By then I should have managed to work out some of the chinks in the coming chapters. At least I managed to move the story forwards... yeah, something like that;D


	16. The Free Shot

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15

The Free Shot

A dark shadow dimly outlined by the moon passed over a rooftop before it descended halfway down a wall and stopped by a window. It slid trained fingers over the window before it brought out a small, flat and thin metal plate smaller than the palm of his hand and let it glide between the window and the wall. When nothing happened a small sigh of irritation escaped the shadow and it put a hand flat against the windows edge instead.

Small bouts of energy sneaked its way through the barely existent space between the window and the wall. A small click was heard before he carefully pushed the window open. Seeing that no one was watching he silently snuck in the open window and gently closed it behind him.

The house was dark but not empty. He had spent several days spying on the inhabitants and their comings and goings in the house. The family living there was mostly normal. The mother spent her time at home with her three children. Two boys and one girl. The girl was the youngest and was still a toddler. Her brothers were slightly older. The oldest of the three had a room to himself, while the two youngest still shared the nursery. There rooms were on the other side of the house, as was the main bedroom. This side of the house held guest rooms, and it was one of them the shadow was silently sneaking around in.

The guest in the house was a man from the Earth Country's court. While Konoha wasn't very interested in the man himself, they were interested in the papers he carried. He had them somewhere in his room and was only waiting to deliver them to someone. That someone was supposed to pick them up and they had agreed to meet here, at this lesser nobleman's house in the outskirts of an equally unimportant town on the border of Wind Country.

Too bad they would be long gone by the time he or she came.

The shadow was smaller than an adult. He was lithe, but strong and his footsteps were as good as soundless. He glanced around before he ducked out of the way in case someone should look through the window and spot him. The room was neat but sparsely decorated. It had a bed and a small desk next to a drawer.

It didn't take him long to look through the clothes and the more obvious places the papers could be hidden before he had to start getting inventive. He felt around for a hidden room, but it was either too well hidden, or not there at all. Searching some more he carefully reached out with his senses to feel around for a chakra source. He didn't like doing it in case someone in the vicinity was able to detect him when he didn't suppress his own chakra fully.

He found traces of chakra on many things, including several scrolls. He sighed annoyed. He would have to go through all of them to find the correct one, or take them all. Both alternatives had some merit. One would be quick and he could leave and be out of here equally quick, but it would be discovered just as quick. If he searched the scrolls it was a chance that the owner could be back before he was finished and if he didn't he might have to spend another day in waiting before he could leave Wind Country. It would take him the rest of the night to go through all the scrolls. He had to unseal the seals on them, see what they contained and then go through the tedious process of resealing them.

He didn't know much about seals. In the two years since he was promoted he had hardly had time to take up an interest in it. He knew the basics which every chunin were required to learn at some point, including the seals on sealing scrolls, shock tags and exploding tags.

He knew enough to know it took long time. Especially when he had to make the seals as good as identical to those already on the scrolls, or be discovered. Frustration pitted in his stomach before he grabbed the closest scroll and looked at the seal. All of them were standard seals for sealing scrolls, but it didn't mean it would take any less time and he didn't have that much time.

The first two scrolls went without a hitch. He had just resealed the second one when he heard steps from the hallway outside the room and tensed. He had to be quick or he would lose the one chance he had not to be discovered. Luckily this wasn't the first time he had done this. He only needed that one chance to do it right. He _was _good at genjutsu.

He got to work as fast as he could and tried his best not to leave marks on the scrolls. The owner had packed an extra uniform, extra equipment, rations, and in the third to last scrolls the papers. Taking them and methodically drawing up the seal again before securing the papers in a scroll of his own he made his way out of the window again.

It was a standard mission. In the past two years he had done countless similar missions. He had learned that some of them were easy and straightforward, like this one, or they got tangled up in something else and made the entire missions four times as troublesome as it needed to be.

It was easy to use a transformation technique and mingle with the townspeople and disappear among them. The town was rather small and insignificant. It was weird how some people thought that if something was secret it would stay secret if they only kept to small and to them unlikely places to meet. Minato had theorized it might be a flaw in human nature that made them think like that.

He soon found what he was looking for. This early in the morning caravans crossing the desert either came or left. No one paid much attention to the many people joining or leaving or generally milling around the caravans. Adding another person to the back of one caravan wasn't much of a problem. No one notices either way because so many were together in front of the gate. Those behind him would think he belonged to the caravan in front, and those in front of him would believe he belonged to the one behind them. It was simple, yet effective. In the chaos that erupted when the caravans entering the small town passed the ones leaving on the narrow road it was just a matter of slipping away and be on his way.

Running over the soft sand in Wind Country was much like running over water. If he hadn't been using chakra to stay up he would have been sinking into it. As the sun rose the day became warmer. To Minato it mattered little as he was soon out of Wind Country and would cross into River Country. Sometimes it was amazing how abrupt the change was between the dry, desert land of Wind Country and the lush green of River Country.

The rivers of River Country had eroded deep, narrow valleys overgrown with greeneries. At the bottoms of the valleys the rivers still flowed at a sedate pace, slowly deepening the already steep gashes in the earth and hard rock. The air at the bottom of these valleys were often still and heavy with moisture, especially as the sun rose and the air warmed further up. The thick bushes and trees were hideaway for birds and small animals, and they all reacted when someone disturbed their peace. It was this easy for Minato to realize when he was being followed.

He ran on the river, the water under him moving the same direction as he was and almost undisturbed by his quick steps. The person following him was on land, or he'd seen him or her and sensed the individual long before. He was pretty sure it was only one person, since he couldn't feel the chakra of another and they would need it to move at these speeds. The person was silent and his or her chakra was suppressed as much as it was possible to do while still using it. If it wasn't for the birds reacting to the ninja flying through the trees they considered home Minato most likely wouldn't have noticed.

It wasn't the ideal place, or time, for a battle. He felt sure it was someone who had followed him from the town, perhaps even the man he'd stolen the scroll from in the first place. If so he hadn't cast the genjutsu as strong as he first believed he had, or the man was better at the art than what was common. That was something Minato should have taken into account, he reckoned to himself. He shouldn't take anything for given in this job. That would get him killed some day.

He kept running while considering his options. He could try to outrun whoever was behind him, but that depended on how much that person wanted to get to him. If he or she was dead set on reaching him that person most likely wouldn't stop until they had to, or didn't dear run any further. Which meant the border of Fire Country which crawled with Konoha patrols. He could also stop and fight whoever was behind him. That would take time and effort, and was dangerous. It was a gamble on the skills of both himself and the pursuer. Seeing as the valley widened slightly and the river transformed into a very, very slow flowing lake like river he stopped and stood at the middle of it.

Whoever was pursuing him had to have known this lake was there, he thought darkly. It was the perfect spot to suddenly show up and startle him, if he hadn't already been aware of him or her.

It didn't take long before the man he had stolen from only hours earlier landed on the water's edge and gazed fixedly at him. Minato looked back, slowly slipping into a battle stance. He wasn't going to let the man regain his breath or try to come up with a plan. The sooner he was taken care of the sooner he could finish his mission and be back in Konoha.

The man was a ninja from Earth, or more precisely the Hidden Village of Rock. It wasn't a surprise really, seeing as chunin often had carrier jobs like this. Take this or that paper here or there. Bring or get. Protect it and make sure it arrived in one piece and preferably readable.

As soon as the ninja moved on the water to confront him Minato threw two kunais with exploding pouches attached to them. The Rock ninja leapt out of the direction of the kunai only to have his vision obscured by water rising in two large explosions. The water droplets glittered in the sunlight and for a short moment they reflected the colors of the rainbow over the clear river water.

The water rose alarmingly in front of Minato to form a giant, rapid current which headed straight for the Rock ninja. He dived out of the way and Minato took the opportunity to throw another set of kunais at him. Seeing the weapons heading towards him so soon after the water current the ninja glanced at the young and seemingly inexperienced chunin before he flipped out of the way again with an irritated expression.

Minato used the moment his opponent wasn't focused on the battle to pick up a few shurikens. He placed them in his hand and looked steadily at the Rock ninja.

"I am sorry," he said to himself before he let the metal stars head for the enemy. The Rock ninja avoided them like he would any other shurikens thrown so obviously; he bent a little to the side, but what he hadn't anticipated was the chakra strings attached to them. One moment he was getting ready to get off the defense and start his own offence, and then he felt the sharp edges of wire against his skin, only it wasn't wire.

Minato stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"I am sorry, but I don't have time for a long battle."

With that he tightened the strings and changed their composition. Like they had done the first time he formed them they cut threw anything he wanted them to cut through. He stayed on the water for a while to look at spot where the ninja sank towards the bottom of the lake. Blood red blossoms formed in the water to slowly dissipate and be washed away as if never there.

Traveling across Fire Country to Konoha from the border to River Country took two days. The weather was nice all until the last day of travel. During the midday it started to cloud over and by evening the sky was ominously dark and raindrops fell occasionally. The really heavy rain hadn't yet started to fall, for which Minato was glad as he proceeded to enter the main gate.

He was about to greet the guards as he normally did when he returned this late, with a small code word and after that the usual nonsense pleasantries. Asking how the village was, get an update on the newest gossip and to hear if something interesting had happened while he was away. It wasn't really that interesting, but it was often necessary. Small tidbits of information could later tie into a much larger puzzle and only those who knew enough would be able to piece it together. Truth was always a matter of points of view in a ninja village and to be able to see the real truth as apart from the presented truth most often required gossip. If the small details didn't add up with the larger picture the truth presented would probably not match with reality.

What stopped him from speaking, or the guards from speaking as well, was a loud bang followed by the ground shaking. The eyes of all present widened as they recognized the after effects of a large explosion going off. They heard the noise of buildings crumbling and people screaming in the distance. Wherever it was, it was far from the main gate.

Minato just looked at the guards before all they nodded to each other. One of them remained at the gate to close it and secure it before either a regiment of ANBU came to take over, or other chunin and jonin. It depended on the severity of the attack.

Another explosion rocked the houses and ground of Konoha just as they vaulted over a roof. The great explosion was visible from where they abruptly halted as a big, circular cloud of fire and black smoke. They could see debris falling around it, and new screams or pain and fear filled the distance between them and the explosion. Around them other ninja were coming out, and civilians were running panicked in the streets heading for the shelters in the Hokage Mountain.

"What the hell is this?" asked the chunin gate guard who came with Minato nonplussed. It was unheard of that someone dared to attack one of the five great hidden villages. It was simply not done, unless they came from another one of the large villages. At this point, however, none of them could picture any of the other four elemental countries wanting to do something like that. Minato didn't answer, just jumped over to the next roof and continued towards the sound of fighting.

The evening had shifted over to night, and the darkness obscured the people in it. With civilians wildly running in the streets and ninja all over the place it was hard to tell who was a friend and who was an enemy. Minato was glad for the minute details in their flak jackets which made him able to discern allies and enemies.

He crouched down on the edge of a roof and was about to grab a kunai and join the fighting in the street when he saw something strange. The enemy was backing off even as the only ones fighting them were a few genin and chunin. He looked around and felt his breath hitch when he spotted what made them fall back. He didn't wait to think his actions through when he noted how the small papers sizzled in the steadily increasing rain.

He leaped from the roof as fast as he could, grabbed the back of a boy's jacket and flipped him to the ground before he kneeled and ran through hand seals at a speed he didn't know he possessed and slammed his hands to the soaked street.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"

He poured as much chakra as he dared in the situation into the technique and prayed it was enough. He knew it was nothing he could do for those in front of him, they would have to fend for their own, but for those behind him the wall might be enough to save their lives.

The explosion shook the ground violently and he could feel the impact on the wall in front of him. Pouring more chakra into it to keep it steady he felt more than saw the people behind him take deep breaths as they realized how close they had been to lose their lives in the explosion. Minato knew he had acted rashly, but he knew this one genin and he be damned if he let him die just like that. Not when he could possible keep him from it this time around.

Burning debris started to fall over them as the pressure and the heat from the explosion died down. Minato finally let the technique go and swirled around to face a large eyed Nawaki.

"How incredible stupid are you?" he hissed angrily and stalked over to him, not caring that they might have enemies upon them any second. He hadn't felt this angry since before he was sent back in time, and that said something.

"Have you any idea what might have happened if I hadn't seen you or come here? You could've died! Your sister would never get over it if something happened to you so try to value your damned life a little more!"

Nawaki opened his mouth to answer him, and by the narrowed eyes and offended expression it wouldn't be a 'thank you'. Minato didn't let him. He glared at him so hard that Nawaki could only blink at the blonde he'd known as a smiling and usually joking, if not a little too serious at times, friend of Kushina.

"You'll do exactly as I tell you and if necessary I'll pull my rank on you, do you understand?" Minato continued and grabbed the other blonde by the arm to pull him from the muddy street.

"You will go to the shelters _as fast as you can_. You will report to the first chunin or jonin you see there. You will do as they say. I don't care what you were thinking coming out here in the first place, but it is no place for a genin."

Minato glared at him and waited for him to move. When he didn't Minato almost growled in frustration. The other genin who'd been behind the earth wall were all huddled together and looked as if they'd been caught stealing cookies.

"Are you waiting for an invitation? Get to it," Minato ground out through gritted teeth. If this was how Tsunade's brother was it was no surprise he'd been killed. Annoying brat couldn't even follow the simplest of orders. He was about to comment on the lack of response when the sound of metal cutting through air made him react on instinct and moved out of the path of the weapons. He watched in muted horror as the kunais headed straight for Nawaki.

Rolling around with the sound of rain and battle in his ears he found himself too worried about his own life to worry anymore about Tsunade's little brother. Judging by the amount of foreign ninja in the village it would be a long and bloody night.

The first strikes of natural occurring lightning flashed across the sky and lit up the two sides to each other. Minato could see the metal of their forehead protectors shine a dull blue from the lighting and the rain. Usually the metal wouldn't be blank enough to give off any reflection that could possible give the owner away, but when wet they reflected light like any mirror. He couldn't see the symbol they carried, only the determination in their eyes. They would fight to the very end and they knew they would die. This was a suicidal mission and none of them expected to come out of it alive.

Across the sky thunder and lightning rolled and the clouds poured water over Konoha as its streets were emptied for civilians and filled with the bodies of the dead and dying, and blood soaked the muddy roads.

Minato looked at his enemies before he seemed to flow away with the falling rain and disappear. Behind them a tree rose from the ground, entwining its branches around them and roots rose from the ground to bind them. One of them gapped when Minato reappeared from the tree only to slit his throat.

He couldn't take them all in the genjutsu. Most understood they were caught in one, but not everyone was able to release themselves from it. By the time they were free they were met with something they had never encountered before. A rapidly spinning orb of pure chakra tearing a hole in whatever was placed in its path.

Minato noticed the movement behind him a moment too late to do anything about it. He tried to sidestep even as he knew it wouldn't do any good, and lifted a hand to try to defend himself. When the man suddenly stumbled and the attack lost its strength and speed he dumbly looked from the dying man, who had a windmill shuriken lodged in his back, to the smirking dark haired boy standing in the shadows of a house. The red eyes were a dead giveaway but at that moment Minato had never been happier to see Fugaku.

"You looked preoccupied," he said in ways of explanation, but Minato noted the faint tone of a friendly teasing, and suppressed concern, underneath the otherwise flat statement. He smiled briefly in response.

"You could say that. Have you any idea what's going on?"

"They're from Hidden Haze according to their forehead protectors, but I don't know why they are attacking Konoha."

"Alliances?"

"None that I am aware of, but even as the clan heir I have only been a chunin for about a year. There is only so much I can glean from what I am told."

They jumped to the closest roof and squatted down, trying to make themselves small against the dark, cloudy sky and the pouring rain that obscured their vision. The fighting was dying down. They could tell because the flashes of chakra and bright lightening mixed with glowing fire and rushing water were fewer and further between. Either that, or people were switching to hand to hand combat and weapons.

"How did they enter the village?" Fugaku asked. This was going to be a dark spot on the police force's reputation he mused. Not that it was his problem just yet, but he still didn't want to hear his clan bitch about it for the next several months. Minato looked at the walls with thoughtful eyes.

"Scaling the walls? They certainly can't have walked through the main gate and those in the ANBU or close to them guards the smaller gates."

"They can't scale the walls. We would have known." Fugaku's answer was short and to the point and earned a raised eyebrow from Minato. The Uchiha heir shrugged to the unasked question.

"Konoha is covered by a dome of chakra. The mature sharingan can see it, and I am sure the byakugan can see it as well, but it is not spoken of since it is our best and most secret defense. It is instantly known to an alert team if the dome is breached, and they will take care of the intruders."

"I see…. If they are here, but didn't break the dome of chakra, then what did they do?"

"I am asking you."

Minato rolled his eyes at the response but glanced up at the dark and forbidding sky. It certainly looked different with the lightning striking across it and covered in black clouds. He sighed. If they hadn't breached the dome then there was only one logical way for the enemies to have entered Konoha.

"They came from the ground," he said slowly, remembering the way Kakashi had ones trapped Sasuke when they had their final genin test in the future. It was the direction no one expected to be attacked, and so it would seem Konoha hadn't thought of that either.

"Is it even possible to dig under the wall?" Fugaku asked skeptically, but he had an attentive look in his eyes.

"Wouldn't it have been seen by one of the patrols or even the police force? Even the greenest Academy Student should be able to think something isn't adding up if foreign ninjas are digging a hole in the ground outside out walls, " he added and narrowed his eyes in the direction of the tall, imposing walls surrounding the village. Then his eyes shifted and landed on the street below them. His face became stern.

"Then again, why dig a tunnel when there already exist one?" he asked rhetorically and nodded towards the sewage system. Minato grimaced. It was his idea to begin with that the attackers came from below, so he couldn't dismiss the theory even when he really wanted to say it was crazy. Konoha was a ninja village. It was obvious that even the sewage system had to be protected somehow, but it was the only liable option they had at the moment.

The two young chunin exchanged reluctant glances before they moved. They did not look forwards to this.

The sewage was filled with murky, muddy and foul smelling waters. It swelled from all the rain coming down, and it was dark. It was mutely decided to run upside down on the roof instead of on the water. It was that disgusting.

The sewage system was a network of underground tunnels build of brick stone and iron. Nothing was made from tree, as that would rotten and weaken the construction. It wouldn't sit well if the sewage of one of the elemental ninja villages suddenly collapsed. They would be the laughing stock of the ninja world. It was vastly different from the wooden village above. Almost like the two faced front they presented to the world. On one side they were the friendly ninja village and other villages scoffed at what they perceived as weakness. On the other side they hid their dealings in the shadows and made sure nothing that would blemish their reputation was ever traced back to them.

They stopped at a point where the sewage split in four different directions. Minato looked at his red eyed companion with a frown before he involuntarily smiled. Fugaku looked like a drowned rat. Water was dripping from both of them, and their hair was hanging in thick, wet strands while their clothes stuck to them like a second skin. They had greenish brown muck sprayed over their outfit, since the roof and walls were all overgrown by algae and whatnot.

"Where to?" Fugaku asked and Minato looked around and tried to orientate himself.

"I guess we are heading west… if that is so we should end up somewhere close to the west gate… There is a river there, and I know genin teams have missions there to clean up the trash… perhaps it is trash which comes with the sewage. It would make sense."

"The water runs in that direction," Fugaku agreed and they started to follow the stream of the water westwards. They went slower now, listening intently for movements or voices or some sort of signal which could alert them to the presence of enemies.

"Still, how did they know where the outlet of our sewage is?" Minato wondered aloud, but still barely over a whisper.

"Spies? Or traitors… though I can't see what such a small village has to gain from this, or what a potential traitor gains from it."

"The traitor is easy. He'll get money or an important position in the other village… what they gain from it is harder to understand," Minato agreed and they lapsed into silence as they continued to silently follow the sewage. When they finally breathed fresher and cleaner air they knew they were nearing the end of the sewage and what looked like a futile trip.

It wasn't before they reached the very end of the sewage they could see that they had indeed been right after all, even if they hadn't met any enemies. Iron bars had ones protected the opening, and along the edge of the sewage several seals had been engraved to ensure that no one passed without alerting Konoha. It had also been hidden in bushes and between stones that had been removed from the opening.

Minato bent to investigate the seals while Fugaku kept watch. He crawled to the top of the stones and looked tentatively over the edge. Minato glanced up at him when he waved a hand in a placating gesture. No one was there so he could take his time.

The seals had been eroded away, but Minato couldn't tell by what, and only a few of the seals. He guessed they were the main seals, the key seals that bound the others into functioning together. When they were taken out the other seals didn't pose any threat to the people passing them. He knew from the little he had read up on seals that if someone passed here and the seals were functioning they would receive a nasty and strong shock like that of a shock tag, only many times stronger. Enough to fry them alive.

He could only assume that some sort of acid had been used to simply dissolve the stone the seals were engraved in.

He shook his head and exited the mouth of the sewage to join Fugaku. The older boy sat on a stone and looked severely annoyed with the water falling from his long bangs. The rain was still falling heavily in large, cold drops. They made small splashing sounds when they hit the ground and were making small brooks where they gathered before running into the larger river which soon would flow over its banks.

"We should head back," Minato said slowly. It was nothing they could do here. With the weather as it was the rain would have long since washed away any trace left by the invaders, and if someone had been left here they would probably know by now that they had either succeeded or not in whatever they were trying to achieve.

"We can't leave this unguarded. Anyone can walk right into Konoha from here," Fugaku protested faintly. Truth be told, he wasn't keen on staying in this godforsaken place getting even wetter and colder by the minute either, but they couldn't ignore the gaping gap in their otherwise tight security.

Minato did see his point. He really did. It didn't mean he liked it though. He was tired and wet and hungry and a whole lot of other things, and he wanted his warm bed and something warm to eat. Ration bars never was his favorite meal. He nicked the palm of his hand with a kunai before he ran through a set of well known seals and slammed his hands to the stone they sat on. A plume of grayish smoke rose and the two chunin had to take a few steps back to give room to the summoning.

The animal was about a meter long, and if it stood up it would just reach the knees of a grown man. Yellow eyes with a slightly narrowed pupil stared at them. It had oval ears and was covered in orange brown fur with black cloud like markings on it. White whiskers were long compared to the small pink nose and it sat delicately on the wet stone. The cloud leopard only tilted its head when it spotted Minato.

"It is wet," it pointed out, as if that was something they hadn't figured out on their own. The voice was definitely male, but held an undertone of something smooth and silky.

"It is," Minato agreed amiably. Fugaku looked at the summoning contemplating before he turned to Minato.

"I didn't know Yashino gave you his summoning contract," he said curiously. The blonde shrugged a little in response as the animal he summoned gave the Uchiha a small huff.

"Of course he would! Young Minato was his student and perfect for us. We make really good teams, don't we?" it said proudly to Minato, who simply smiled at the attitude. Cats were proud creatures at heart and that had been the first lesson they thought him about themselves. The animal seemed to smile smugly.

"That aside we are the best assassins," it pointed out. Fugaku looked over at Minato, who shook his head that he shouldn't ask now.

"That's not why I need your help right now. You see that sewage down there? Could you guard this place so no one but Leaf ninja passes here?" he asked the cloud leopard. It stretched lazily and looked at the opening of the sewage and the large rocks they were sitting on.

"Naturally, but you owe me for doing this in this weather," it stated blandly. With that it jumped from the stone they sat on, to another and was soon disappeared between the rocks.

"Don't worry. He's here somewhere," Minato said when Fugaku was reluctant to follow him.

They trudged back to the village to find the smaller gate guarded by ANBU, who immediately shrank back from them instinctively. Minato glared at the cloaked ninja.

"You would smell too if you went running through the sewage," he muttered when he allowed them passage.

"The Hokage is expecting every active ninja over genin rank to meet at the Tower," the ANBU informed them when they were about to continue on. To them it didn't matter as they knew they had to report there anyway with their findings.

When they arrived what had to be most of the village's ninja force was gathered in a large hall, with the Hokage and his advisors in the front of the room. They sat behind a large table, dressed in formal robes, but the image was spoiled since they were as wet as everyone else in the room. The two chunin silently snuck in and found a place to the back of the room, but they did draw attention to themselves even when they didn't want to. Several people around them, even bloody and gory as some of them were from the battle, skidded away from them.

The Hokage spoke of what had happened and informed them of the current number of losses, both military and civilian, property damage and what Konoha would do about this. According to him they did not have any information suggesting something like this would happen, and neither did they understand why. As far as Hidden Haze village was concerned it had never officially allied with any other country or village that Konoha knew of. Minato paid more attention when he started to explain the attack itself. He rose quickly when it was mention that it was unknown as of know how the enemy had entered the village.

"We might explain that, if we may," he said loud enough to be heard and indicated Fugaku beside him. The Hokage nodded and Minato took a deep breath.

"They entered through the sewage system. We were wondering how it was possible to attack Konoha without setting off the alarms and the only logical way would be to do so from beneath. We followed the sewage to its end in the river west of Konoha and found that the rocks hiding the opening had been removed and the seals corroded away by what I assume to be acid."

He glanced at Fugaku who nodded briefly.

"The sewage system itself is intact, but how the enemy knew of it and how to bypass the security placed on it leaves us believing they had help from the inside, either a traitor or a spy… perhaps more than one or a mixture of the two."

Minato continued.

"Only the key seals were taken out. The others were intact, so whoever did it knew which seals to remove and knew what kind of seals they were. We left a summoning to guard the opening and came here to report."

Their explanation was met with a deafening silence. Both of the two chunin stood their ground as several sets of calculating eyes landed on them and wondered how to use this discovery in their own schemes. The Hokage looked at them thoughtfully before he nodded to a dark corner of the room. An ANBU in a cream colored cloak and a horse mask came forth and bowed to the Hokage.

"Take three teams and secure the sewage. Don't leave a single corner unchecked. When that is done I want the opening hidden and sealed in a way that prevents this from happening again. Until we've found a permanent solution on this unforeseen problem I want the opening guarded."

The ANBU disappeared in a small swirl of leaves and the murmur from the crowd of gathered ninja slowly died down again. Some of them had a hard time suppress their snickers while imagining the feared Konoha ANBU rummage through the mess that was the sewage. The Hokage turned to the chunin and jonin under his command and they could tell he was both angry at what had happened and saddened.

"The hospital staff is already taxed. I want everyone with any medical skills to report to the hospital. Interrogation, you know what to do with the prisoners. Find out what this was about at any cost. The rest of you will be disposed throughout the village. There are already lists with your names and designed task by every exit in the Tower. Now, do a good job and prove to the world that it takes more than this to break the Will of Fire!"

A roar of agreement came from the men and women gathered in the large hall and every one of them called their agreement. Minato shook his head lightly. If they ever found out what this was about Konoha wouldn't take it nicely. It was so random and so completely pointless that there had to be something behind it, even if they couldn't understand what. What made a small insignificant ninja village attack one of the five elemental villages? Those five villages held immense military power. Messing with one of them without a backup was like pulling the tail of a sleeping tiger.

Minato reported to a small group of trackers meeting on the wall by the main gate. He wasn't too surprised to find Sakumo already there, with a few of the Inuzuka clan members next to him. A Hyuuga stood stoically to the side of the eagerly chatting Inuzukas who didn't take an attack on their home kindly. Loyalty being one of their main traits the implications of treachery was even worse. Sakumo eyed the dirty and tired youngster with a sharp eye before he nodded to him.

"That's all of us. We are to head for the Lightning - Stone border. The Hokage wants a complete run down on the movement of the Haze ninja. We are not entirely sure where in Stone country the hidden Haze village is, but it is part of our mission to find it…"

It wasn't necessary to say what Konoha wanted the information for. Anyone with half a brain could tell why. If the Leaf decided it was needed nothing would remain of Hidden Haze village once they were finished.

Sakumo looked behind them at the places where the Haze ninja had struck. The rain was easing up a little, enough that it wasn't like a grey curtain hiding the ruins from their sight, and the grey morning light helped them to see the damage clearly. Minato winced. He hadn't thought it was as bad as it was, but seeing it know he could tell it reminded a lot of the aftermath of the Sound – Sand invasion. Only this time they hadn't been aware of the attack and the causalities were higher.

"I am not sure why I am here. I am not a specialist in tracking," he said to Sakumo, who turned to him with a smirk on his face.

"No, but from what I've heard you're one hell of an assassin. You were even trained by one of the best assassins in the ANBU squads. I requested one on this team just in case we stumble upon something that needs taken care of quickly."

Translation; I need an assassin in case we find any traitor or traitors. Minato gave an almost unperceivable nod in understanding. He wondered why Sakumo couldn't do that himself, or the Hyuuga, but didn't say anything. If he was here there was a reason for it, and if they didn't say it at ones he'd find out sooner or later. Preferable sooner so he could plan ahead of the game, but for know he would wait and see.

Sakumo turned to the team again this time with more seriousness to him.

"I don't need to tell you that if we fail in this someone just got a free shot at Konoha," he told them gravely. The low growl from the Inuzukas reassured them that they would do whatever was in their power to make sure the responsible were found and an explanation given. It was just a matter of time and endurance.

* * *

Weeell... Interesting beginning after a two year skip? For those of you who wonder, the cloud leopard is a real mammal. It is a cat bordering between the big cats and the small cats. I thought it would do due to its nature, and I read somewhere that the uchiha clan was associated with cats, so I found it fitting that their summons are cats of different kinds. I have not forgotten Mist and their plans, even if it may look like it for the next few chapters so please don't nag me about it. And yes, this was the attack where Nawaki was originally killed. You'll have to wait and see if he survived in this story... As for the Haze ninja... well I don't remember it being mentioned who the enemy in that attack on Konoha was, so I twisted it to fit my own plot. That's it for now! To everyone staring school or Univeristy again this time of the year: Good luck and do your best=P but don't forget to have some fun inbetween all the studying!


	17. Path of War

16

Paths to War

The day was getting slightly lighter as they headed north towards Stone Country. The clouds seemed to whiten the further away from Konoha they got and the sun even graced them with a few rays as they ran and jumped from tree to tree.

It was silent, mostly, since they were running right from whatever they had been doing before the attack, the attack itself and was trying to deal with everything that had happened during a scant few hours. Minato felt his skin crawl, mostly because he felt dirty and was certain he alerted anything with a nose in miles around them to his presence.

It was midday when Sakumo stopped and let himself drop to the forest floor, before standing up and waiting for the rest of the team to join him. Minato stood a little to the back and tried to ignore the wrinkling the Inuzukas did with their noses. It was obvious that they found his somewhat peculiar odor less than pleasing. There were three of them, and three dogs, and they tried to get as far away from Minato as possible without being too indiscreet about it. The Hyuuga simply stood there, staring at a point somewhere over Sakumo's shoulder. It had to be a very interesting spot, because he didn't even look away when one of the dogs brushed up against his legs and stuck a cold, wet nose into his hand. He did, however, absently scratch the dog beneath an ear.

"Well, I want to know if anyone needs a rest before we get going again. I'm just back from a mission so I need to rest up and there is no reason to rush to enemy territory when we might rest while we're still deep in Fire Country."

Minato stepped forwards.

"I arrived from a mission when the first explosion went off," he said and then grimaced.

"And I need a bath. I never thought the smell would linger in the clothes like this."

There was a snort of laughter from the only male Inuzuka there.

"It's the ANBU's headache now," he remarked, mirth lacing his voice. Sakumo too looked as if he wanted to snicker at the ANBU's misfortune, but had the good grace to keep it back.

"That sounds like good idea, yes," he agreed barely containing the smile threatening to cross his lips. Minato sighed. He was bound to be hearing this in the future. He could hear him in his mind. '… and then it was that time when Namikaze Minato and Uchiha Fugaku went through the sewer…'. Oh, yes, he was looking forwards to that.

"If you don't mind me asking, why didn't you go for backup?" the Hyuuga suddenly asked and Minato blinked.

"Honestly? We acted in the spur of the moment… we took a chance and came out on top, or at least with the information we wanted…" he furrowed his brow a little, trying to think back to what he'd been thinking as they ran upside down, hearts racing, senses on high alert and adrenaline coursing through them. Sakumo hummed, but they seemed to accept the answer.

"If no one took chances we'd get nowhere. Anyway, there's a small river not far from here. We'll set up camp there and see to it that all our members are presentable for our duty," he said, humor seeping through the words. Minato refused to roll his eyes as he followed the team leader back up in the trees. They were little more than dark blurs in the trees, the thought of some rest and finally getting rid of the smell spurring them on.

They spent the rest of the day going over what they had of supplies. All of them had more or less been sent off in what they stood in the moment the Hokage announced it, and while he probably was angry as a… well, he was angrier than Minato could remember him being, past or present, and he had a feeling the rest of the team shared his feelings when wanting to scramble to do his orders as fast as possible.

The Sandaime Hokage could be really scary when he wanted to be, he mused and packed the rest of his shuriken back in his pouch. It was luck he hadn't needed that many of his weapons on his last missions. Come think of it, he hadn't even handed over the information he'd gathered. Not that he thought a marriage contract between a lady in Earth Country and one of the Wind – daimyo's distant cousins had anything to do with the attack on Konoha. No, he was more concerned with the current mission.

"You look as if someone kicked your puppy into a fire, kid. Lighten up a little," Sakumo said and Minato looked up to see him squatting down in front of the blanket he'd sorted his weapons and utensils on. He had repacked most of them, leaving only the stacks with exploding tags and smoke bombs left. He had a couple of flash bombs as well, and roughly three handfuls of makibishi, not that it would help all that much if they happened into some serious combat. He peered at the man with some irritation. Sometimes this body was a serious handicap, and putting his age together he was almost thirty, goddamnit. He was permitted to look serious!

The silver haired man must have seen the slight narrowing of his eyes, because he snorted in amusement.

"You sure are a piece of work, eh? Brighten up, you're young. No one your age should have a look like yours. I know! I'm a daddy!"

"Your son is two years old, old man. I am eleven; I've been a ninja since I was seven. I am entitled to worry about an attack on my village and being sent on a mission so soon afterwards," Minato deadpanned. Coffee colored eyes blinked at him in surprise for a moment.

"Old man?" Sakumo repeated almost in shock. Behind him one of the Inuzuka shinobi, Minato would guess he was about twenty, gave him the thumbs up and a grin. Minato smiled succinctly.

"Are we going to stay for the night… 'old man'?" the Inuzuka called over with a wolfish grin. Watching the rest of the team throw themselves on the new nickname Minato couldn't help but chuckle at them. He was reminded of the time he had spent in the future, after Danzou's takeover, when his friends and he had roamed the wide forests and joked around when they had the time. It wasn't so different, he surmised. For the past two years he had avoided taking missions where he'd be teamed up with large groups if he could help it; it reminded him too much of the past… future… something, and with the death his latest sensei he had gotten a feeling of caution when dealing with people. It was kind of… nice, experiencing the camaraderie again.

He finished up and went over to the fire where Sakumo had the offending Inuzuka in a headlock and was rubbing his scalp pretty hard. Minato still felt it was refreshing to see the legends act like people. All you ever learned in history lessons were the dry and static facts about their accomplishments. Not exactly telling anyone what kind of people they were. Even Orochimaru had been admired in Minato's first round at the Academy as Naruto, before they came to the part of the Snake sannin's betrayal of course. Then he was despised, but people still said he was an amazing ninja… and of course he was! The talent, skills and determination made him a genius ninja, but a terrible human.

Minato wondered how far one had to go to lose that difference between the time they acted as ninja; silent, unseen killers and the time they acted as people; as brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and friends and all which made them human. Ponder philosophical questions was maybe not the best time killer on a mission, but it worked. The nature of the questions was something else. He wondered what his current teammates would say if he told them the nature of his thoughts. He could imagine some shrugs and a few disbelieving looks before he was told that was something everyone had to consider from time to time.

* * *

"You killed him," Sakumo hissed at the Hyuga who dipped his head apologetically.

"He didn't give me much of a choice," he answered in his defense, which truthfully was a good one. Their captain rolled his eyes.

"I asked you not to kill them," he said and waved a hand around the clearing. A team of four Rock ninja had intercepted them, or they had intercepted the Rock ninja. Maybe it was a coincident because everyone had been a little surprised at seeing the other ninja there.

It was seemingly no reason for any of them to be there. Minato narrowed his eyes at the ninja at his feet. He would bleed to death within an hour or so if no one did anything with his wound. It was as the Hyuga said; they hadn't been given much of a choice. Minato rather liked living, thank you very much, even if his life was as bizarre as it was.

On the other side of the clearing one of the Inuzuka dogs was giving off what had to be a dog's equivalent of a shit eating grin. He was sprawled out across the back of a female ninja, his weight pinning her securely to the ground and his occasional growl keeping her from doing something supremely stupid. Like trying to move.

She was bleeding at the ankles and Minato knew she would never work as a kunoichi again with those injuries, even if she escaped them alive. The dog had bit the sinews straight off, like some slave traders did with their slaves to keep them from running. Like some predators did with their prey. Perhaps it would be kinder to kill her. As it was she would be limp for the rest of her living days.

One of the Inuzuka's he was teamed with was squatting down in front of the last member of the Rock team, ignoring his cousin who was leaning on a tree, being tended to by what Minato had been informed was his sister. The Rock ninja was tied to a tree and eyed the Leaf ninja with obvious anger and disgust. Minato couldn't quite tell why he was disgusted with them. As far as he knew Leaf hadn't done anything to disgust Rock yet. He should know, in the future it was the then Minato who had razed Rock's pride to the ground and figuratively stomped on it. At least he got the credit. He doubted the man had done it _all_ alone.

"Well, well, well… what do you know! Rock ninja all away up here? I must say it is a pleasant surprise! Whatever would you be doing?" the Inuzuka said cheerfully, too cheerfully as he smiled sweetly at his captive. Stony silence met his declaration. Not that Minato had expected the man to talk anyway. As ninja they were trained not to, even if these guys weren't more than unlucky chunin.

Unlucky because they had run into a team of mostly jounin. He was the only chunin on the team, and still not sure why he was there.

"Cousin dearest, you are scaring the poor man. Relax a little; I am sure they have a perfectly good reason to be traipsing around Stone Country. After all, it is _sooo_close to Lightening territory. Cloud would be delighted to know we are all taking such interest in their neighbor," the Inuzuka woman spoke in a soothing voice, as if trying to placate a petulant child.

Sakumo gave them a look that suggested they got on with it quickly, or he would deal with it.

In the end they didn't get anything from the man. Minato had watched with a blank face. He never was a fan of torturing people for information. It was one of the reasons he really respected the Yamanaka clan. The way they managed to extract information without inflicting physical pain. Of course, it left their victims feeling utterly violated. A proverb claimed a man could be enslaved in any way, but he was no real slave as long as his thoughts were free. The Yamanakas didn't care what the proverb said, or maybe they hadn't heard it.

The bodies of a random Rock team were effectively done with and they left the area irritated but not really worried.

* * *

There are some facts about dead bodies that just are facts. Such as the corps cools off after eight hours, more or less regardless of the temperature around it… as long as the conditions around the body are normal, that is. After twelve hours, the corps is cool to touch, and after twenty four hours it is cool the entire way through. Well, that you wouldn't know unless you cut it open and checked, but still.

There are also other ways to get an idea as to how long someone's been dead. After two to four hours the muscles and the neck and jaw would be stiff, and the rest of the body would stiffen in the next eight to twelve hours. The body would go limp again, after about thirty six to seventy two hours. Not exactly a good measure, but it gave an idea.

You could always look at the coloration on the corps. Red to violet spots on the skin. Someone a little more versed in the course of decay would maybe inform that it is caused by gravity. When the body dies the blood would sink to the lowest part of the body, the veins would pop and the blood seep into the muscles and such around them. Visible after half an hour and would become gradually more visible for the next fourteen hours. The corpse would, after some time, be blown up by gasses and after a month the hair and the nails would loosen. After that long the body would also, depending on where it was, have decayed and may be eaten by everything from animals to maggots.

Minato knew these things quite well. He also knew that no self respecting ninja would leave his kill for all to see unless it was an assassination of a non – ninja or requested in the mission that the body was left intact… as intact as a dead body can be, that is.

It was because of that the body they had found confused them all to no end. It was clearly a ninja; the uniform and the forehead protector and the weapons declared him as such. He had a kunai lodged in the back of his neck, which would explain his rather less than stellar health condition, but it didn't explain why the body was left in the middle of a field.

A field, which by the way, should have been tended to by a farmer and not be the overgrown mess it currently was. Minato grimaced as Sakumo moved the body only to find it infected with small white worms. The ninja had been dead for a long time, they could all see that. The eyes had already been picked by some bird; they were usually the first the birds went after because of their softness. The hair wasn't loose, which gave them some idea as to long he'd been dead, but not much. Being succumbed to the weather and wildlife had corroded the body more than it would if it had been indoors.

"That's… plain disgusting," the Inuzuka woman said with her nose wrinkled. It was they who had noticed the body in the first place, or their dogs had. Minato never was sure if they had the same sense of smell as their dogs, of if their dogs informed them of what they sensed.

"Take a look around and see if you find anything. If not we'll just get rid of the body and be on our way," Sakumo said and rose from his position on the ground. He didn't look as disturbed as the Hyuuga, who had the misfortune of seeing the body with his eyes activated. The stoic man peered at Sakumo closely before he spoke.

"If I die, make sure to burn my body," he implored and the silver haired team leader nodded absently to the request.

"Sure."

Sakumo stared at the Hyuga and raised an eyebrow in question as to why he was making this request.

"I do not want to be… devoured by… maggots," the stiff explanation was given after a staring match Minato quietly admired. He didn't know anyone could outstare the white eyes. He glanced at the forehead protector. Hidden Haze had a problem if they left their ninja lying around dead like this.

Any traces of battle or strife were long gone from the scene and the only tracks they found were from foxes who'd fed on the dead body. No one seemed particularly worried about it, though, and it was a good token for them anyhow. It meant they might be getting closer to finding the hidden village.

* * *

After two weeks of searching and nothing to report home about but more unexplained dead bodies, which were steadily more decayed indicating that they had been killed at the same time, Minato felt ready to either scream his head off in frustration or declare the mission a flop and go home.

They had run back and forth across Stone Country, which wasn't that large, and still not seen hair nor hide of anything remotely related to a hidden village, if you didn't count the dead bodies they stumbled upon every now and again. Not that they had been numerous, and they had been spread out.

"Oi! Captain, are we staying for the night?" the oldest of the Inuzuka's asked. His name was Akio. He was a second cousin of Tsume, or something like that. He had seemed to be confused himself when he tried to explain it. Minato had never met the man before, and had asked more out of politeness, like the good little genius he was, than of any real interest.

Their resting place was like many of the others they had had for the past week. Stone, Minato decided, was borderline desert, with waste areas of wasteland. It wasn't the dry, sandy desert of Wind Country either. No, this was the colder and shadier kind of desert. The kind which is found in high areas of the world, which would be natural since it was just before entering Lightening Country with its mountains. Their village was, like the others, aptly named.

No, Stone Country was not the place Minato would have expected them to spend two weeks searching for some decrepit hidden village with no major ninja to their name and no real power to speak of. The only noteworthy thing they had ever done was to commit certain suicide by attacking Konoha. Now, if they could only find the place…

"Captain?" the Inuzuka tried again when no response was forthcoming. Sakumo seemed to be deep in his own thoughts, staring at a map of Stone Country. When he looked up his eyes were narrowed.

"Tell me something. How many bodies have we found so far?" he asked and the team exchanged looks.

"Ten," the female Inuzuka, Junko, answered curious as to what their captain were thinking.

"They were all killed at approximately the same time, but didn't stick together. I can only guess that they either were forced to part, or they didn't have the option to go together in the first place, which leads me to believe the fled something, or somewhere."

"Fleeing? From what? It's not like we knew what they were planning before they attacked us and I've heard nothing of Hidden Haze being to interest of us before," Akio said and squatted down on a stone. Minato looked at the map Sakumo had and saw that he had marked the places they found the bodies. He glanced up at him.

"You think the village is somewhere between the bodies," he said and Sakumo nodded though something in his eyes didn't sit well with Minato. There was something… he didn't know, but from Sakumo's face he thought the silver haired man might have an idea he wouldn't share with them quite yet.

"So, back to the dreary highland it is," Junko sighed.

Sometimes their occupation sucked.

* * *

Five more days past by before the found Hidden Haze Village. What was left of it. Minato had seen some pretty disturbing things in his life as Naruto; civil wars always ended up the worst on the civilians, but he had never seen total eradication before. A look at his current captain told him what he wanted to know, that Sakumo had started to suspect this long ago.

The village was situated in a small valley with natural hot springs, creating a permanent haze over the area. It might have been thicker and denser when the village was there; enforced with chakra like the Hidden Mist strengthened the mist covering their village.

The village, or what was left of it, was completely destroyed. There was nothing left aside from a few structures sticking up from the ground. No smoke, no bodies, no personal items, not nothing beside the few walls and wooden beams left.

"This is weird," Akio muttered and sniffed the air.

"It smells of burnt soil," he grimaced and his cousins agreed in low murmurs as they looked around. It was eerily quiet. This high up sounds should have carried well in the thinner air, but it was nothing for them to hear but the sounds they made themselves.

"Something is odd about this place," the Hyuga said in a low voice. His eyes were focused on what was left of the village, but his brow was furrowed as if he didn't entirely understand what he was seeing.

"No, you don't say. The village attacking us is miraculously wiped from Earth's surface," Junko said dryly. The Hyuga gave her a baleful stare.

"That's not what I meant, even if it is… strange. The village has been buried. What we see is only the rooftops," he explained and Sakumo turned suddenly to look at him.

"Are you sure?" he asked and started to look around as he received a positive answer.

"Well, the area is volcanic," Akio said with a glance at the mountain tops around them. Minato squatted down and picked at the edge of the mass in front of them. The stone was different from what they stood on. More bubbly. It wasn't warm either.

"The lava is located only above the village," the Hyuga informed them blandly.

"If it had come from one of the mountains it would have left a trail. There is none," he elaborated when all he got in return was blank looks.

"That's… not possible. I don't know much about Haze ninja, but I don't think people in general is stupid enough to place their village just on top of an active volcano," Akio argued and the Hyuga shifted his stance a little. A Hyuga shrug, Minato had dubbed it after observing his teammate for almost a month.

"Possible or not, that's how it is."

"It must have been an attack. Remember the dead bodies. They had been deliberately hunted down and killed," Sakumo reminded them. He peered through the hazy air at the former village.

"I must say though, I don't know of any technique able to create lava, or do such wide spread damage."

That said something. Sakumo was old enough to have served under the Nidaime Hokage, who had some of the largest and most widespread water attacks in history. Years down the line he was still revered as the ultimate master over water.

"There is a bloodline in Mist, which allows the user to create ice," Minato offered when the team fell into an uncomfortable silence.

"A bloodline, eh? It is possible," Sakumo allowed. They remained silent for a while more, each pondering the consequences should there be an entire clan of lava wielding enemies out there. It wasn't a prospect any of them looked forward to. It was broken by a small whimper from one of the dogs.

"They don't like it here," Junko explained deftly.

"They claim it smells unnatural and… tainted. I can't say I disagree with them."

"The entire place is spooky if you ask me," Akio agreed with a pointed look at the dead village. Sakumo looked at it for a while longer before he shook his head.

"We better report back to the Hokage. Whatever happened here we are in over our heads. There isn't anything else we can do."

"We did find the village, though, so it isn't as if we failed the mission," Akio said with a nonchalant air. Junko snorted.

"While that is true, we do lack any real information," she quipped. Sakumo looked skywards, somewhat pleading.

"Give me patience," he pleaded softly. It was too soft for anyone but the two closest to him, the Hyuga and Minato, to hear, and they chuckled softly. The third Inuzuka, Katashi, was already trying to convince them the mission turned out on a neutral.

"What do you think?" Minato asked Sakumo, who responded with a despondent smile.

"It's neither here nor there what happened to the mission. Thing is we don't know anything and that is bad. To us, deception is a weapon and it has been wielded against Konoha. We don't know why, or even how, but it has. We don't have information to counter it with, so at the moment we are at the mercy of whoever is behind this."

He gave Minato a grim smirk.

"While we've been stumbling around Stone in search of Hidden Haze Village, somewhere there is someone who's laughing their heads off and congratulates themselves on their own ingenuity. We've played right into their hands…"

"You think Haze was played the same way?" the Hyuga asked quietly so not to involve the ever bickering Inuzukas.

"I don't know. It could be they've been in on it and this is just a ruse, or that they were fooled along and been as hamstrung as we've been."

They fell into silence as they started to run towards Fire Country and Konoha. Minato looked at the darkening sky and couldn't help but think that they were on the path of war.

* * *

Yeah, so... it took a while. Truthfully I have written the chapters, but not gotten around to post them. I'm a bit whimsical, and more than a little scatterbrained at times. As soon as something happens I am all into it, and everything else takes a back seat. Especially when my siblings are involved and I am very, very happy to say I'm an uncle now. My sister got twins=) A daunting warning to the rest of us siblings to never have children, I believe. She happily informed us it is genetical.


	18. History Lessons

16

History Lessons

"It smelled unnatural?" the Hokage repeated, again, and looked incredulously at the Inuzukas and their dogs. Junko crossed her arms defiantly and her dog gave the revered Hokage a look which suggested that he better believe them, or the dog would forever place him the category of dimwits.

"The dogs didn't like it there, and the air was… I don't know, it wasn't _right_," Akio supplied with a shrug. The Sandaime Hokage nodded and had an impossible expression on his face. If Minato would have to describe it, he would have said it was a mixture of bewilderment, annoyance and a small dash of anger. Having to deal with the information that the village which had attacked them was destroyed (wiped out) and no information on what had happened would do that to a Kage he supposed. Especially when the village wasn't just destroyed, but buried beneath lava, of all things, and for all they knew it shouldn't be possible.

"Tell me again, what wasn't right about it," the Hokage asked and the trio of Inuzukas exchanged hopeless looks. How do you explain what would best be described as a sixth sense to someone who doesn't have it? Sakumo was standing off to the side, looking bored and, if Minato had learned anything about the man the past weeks, he was daydreaming about his son. The Hyuga had taken up his all purpose hobby of staring holes at nothing, which left the poor Inuzukas to explain themselves to the Hokage with no help whatsoever. Minato knew better than to try to get involved in the ongoing questioning.

"It just was wrong, it wasn't right, it… oh, okay, it made my skin crawl! I wanted away! I wanted to get as far away as quickly as possible! It's the same feeling as if a giant predator was lurking behind the stones and _observed_ me! I felt as if it was waiting to pounce on me and _eat_ me!"

Akio sounded agitated. He looked flushed as well, and Minato didn't blame him. Among the Inuzukas it was frowned upon to show fear or admit weaknesses. He never did get a proper understanding of the structure of the clan. Kiba had admitted that the title of clan leader wasn't inherited, rather won during fights. Only the strongest in the clan could hold the title, like in a pack of wolves.

"I see," the Hokage said and finally turned from his interrogation of the Inuzuka clan members to the rest of the team he had sent out.

"Did you feel the same way?" he asked them.

"No… I just found the place eerie," Minato admitted. The Hyuga agreed with him and Sakumo hummed from his place by the window.

"The ground had cooled off," he said and not for the first time did Minato wonder why he deemed it necessary to come with seemingly random thoughts.

"That's…" Minato felt sorry for the Hokage. He looked lost for words.

"If the village had been placed above a… well, above something which made lava the ground would still be warm. We would have felt it, but it was normal. There wasn't anything odd about it at all. For all it is worth, the lava might as well have dropped from the sky," Sakumo continued, much to the worsening of the Hokage's headache.

"Which means it had to be some sort of attack," Sarutobi agreed and sharp dark eyes focused on the team captain.

"What about the bodies you found? They were all killed around the same time?"

"Within days of each other. I don't think we found all of them either. If it was an attack I guess that some must have escaped and the attackers were hunting them down. I don't know what Haze might have done to warrant something like that, or why they would attack us, but it isn't coincidental," Sakumo said.

"What about the team of Rock ninja you caught?"

Sakumo gave an uncaring shrug.

"I don't know. They didn't talk. I… Honestly, I see no connection there either. They were only chunin and there are a thousand and one reasons why they might have been there. They were certainly not the ones who sacked Hidden Haze," he said with certainty. The Hokage looked the slightly ragged team over and shook his head. As if his troubles weren't many enough already…. At least he didn't have to order the undoing of a village while he was at it. Someone had mercifully done it for him, and given him more headaches while they did. No good deed ever went unpunished.

"I will want a written report in a day's time. For now you can go home and get some rest."

Minato wasn't sure what to think when he entered his apartment. It was dusty, which he had expected, and his plants were still alive, which was a small miracle. It meant Kushina had remembered to water them. Maybe Kaero had reminded her. He tended to have a better memory for details than his cousin.

He let his fingers trace over a few knickknacks and wondered why he felt so distracted. It wasn't as if he war was over them already. He shouldn't feel so… demoralized, he supposed, but he knew the war would come, for there was nothing he could do to stop it. He couldn't think of anything he had done during his years as Minato which could possibly affect something like that and for some reason it made him feel good. For all his knowledge of the future he was still only a person. Only one human and he was oddly satisfied with that.

He couldn't save the world from itself, and that, more than anything, made him human.

Resting by the kitchen table after a shower he stared into his cup of tea and thought of his friends.

Kushina and Inoichi were his closest friends, definitely. Shikaku was funny in his own way, but not as close as Inoichi was. Kushina was his more or less hyper female friend which would drag him along when he was down and brighten his mood when she was around. Inoichi would listen and part with some profound wisdom and proverbs he most likely had from his father. He was being trained in human psychology so it wouldn't be too strange if he had some standard answers ready for when he needed them. Minato had a feeling his pretty friend sometimes listened with only half an ear because he had heard it all before.

Kaero, Kaero was like a little brother. Not as close as a brother, but almost. The cousins did have each other, and they considered themselves more like siblings than cousins and Minato became their cousin by default.

Kinuto and Kaero… none of them had lived in the future he knew. Kushina had died after giving birth. He wondered when her cousins had died. If it was during the war, or during the Kyubi attack. Minato had finally come to the understanding that he couldn't hover over them and protect them at all times. He couldn't do that with any of his friends. He could help them when he was around them, train with them and encourage them to become stronger, but they needed to become strong in their own right and he needed to trust them to do that. It didn't stop him from wishing it turned out different this time around, though. At least it would for Kushina, for he was not going to have any babies with her, so for her to die from that she would have to find another guy to have children with.

Minato snickered a little. If she liked blondes he would try to set her up with Inoichi, or maybe one of his cousins. Unfortunately the Yamanaka clan was the only blondes he knew of in the village. A scant few others had blonde hair, but it wasn't exactly common. Setting her up with his friend would at the very least prove to be entertaining. For some reason his thoughts drifted to Ino and he couldn't help but think they would have gotten along splendidly. Yeah, Kushina, if she ever got that mother instinct thingy, would probably have been the perfect mother for Ino…

He frowned. He didn't remember Ino's mother. He wasn't sure what had happened to her, if she was alive or not while they were children. Someone had to run the flower shop, but nothing said it couldn't be someone hired. He couldn't remember ever seeing Ino with a mother either. He felt a little guilty about never thinking of it before, and never asking. Well, he would see if he could… help it along a little this time.

Leaving the half empty cup on the table and the thoughts to swirl in his mind he spent the night dreaming of a future clouded by what ifs and maybes.

Sleeping in proved to be an impossible task, despite it being close to a month since last time he'd slept in a bed and not on the ground. He would have thought he would be able to sleep longer, considering he was sure the earth itself had conspired against him and made sure there was a rock gnawing at his back or side every single place he laid down during their mission. As soon as the sun rose, though, he was impossibly awake and staring balefully at the roof of his room.

The village was silent and sleepy outside his window. Not yet engulfed by the stark sunlight of the day and instead bathed in the soft glow of the first morning light. He smirked to himself. If he couldn't sleep, he could either wake up his dear friends or he could take a trip around the village with an ear out for the gossip.

Konoha, being a Hidden Village, was remarkably friendly. What he had seen of Mist hadn't been nearly as inviting as the colors and wooden structures of Konoha. That might have to be with the politics of the villages though. While the Sandaime Hokage was a people friendly person, Minato couldn't quite imagine the Mizukage he had met in Mist as a very friendly person in any regards. Creepy fit better, lurking around in the damp cave as he had and said disturbing things.

Locking his door on the way out and carefully avoiding the creaking step in the stairs outside he made his way to the small lake close to his apartment. He liked spending time there, usually observing the people passing by in their everyday life.

People were… fascinating. He knew they could be harsh, unforgiving and vengeful, even the civilians if they thought they had due cause. He had, after all, experienced that first hand. Sometimes they were also hypocritical, blind to the truth or just not reasonable. People could also be kind, forgiving, loving, helpful and plain nice. He had enough experience with the darker side to human nature as Naruto, and as Minato he had grown up as the, among ninja, child prodigy, while civilians often saw him as a child among others. Well, not while he wore his forehead protector and vest, but otherwise they would treat him like they would the other children. It was a novel experience.

He was in half a thought of seeing if Fugaku was up for a sparring match before he remembered how early it was and settled for a walk around the lake. The Uchiha heir was an odd one. Sometimes he was a jerk, no doubt about it, but other times he was almost friendly. Minato had toyed with the idea of him being bipolar, but trashed the idea as quickly as it had come. Fugaku was too steadily in the mood Minato called 'huffy' to be bipolar. He wouldn't exactly call the heir a friend, but he wasn't a rival or an acquaintance either. He wasn't interested enough in Minato to be a rival, and he wasn't unknown enough to just be acquainted. If he had to call him anything, he would call him a well acquainted comrade. The kind of friend which ticks you off to no end but you put up with it because in the end he'll have your back after all.

The most annoying thing with him, however, was his eyes. Minato couldn't put him under an illusion, which actually was why he searched him out for matched even if he didn't want to admit to it. He was sure, given a strong enough illusion, it could fool the sharingan. The normal sharingan, not the cursed one. He knew his friend didn't have that one, and if he could help it no one in that stupid clan of his would ever gain it. If he had to whisk away Itachi and Sasuke from their cribs so be it, he had no desire to ever face that particular ability again. Even so, that was years in the future and many things could change before that time.

Minato narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at the water. The Third Great Ninja War… wasn't that peachy. He got to live through what his sensei in the future had called 'disturbing'. He wished they would have elaborated a little on that.

As he heard soft footsteps he turned around and was faced with the third Hokage, who gave him a humorous look.

"You are out early, Minato – kun. How are you doing?"

Minato swallowed his surprise at seeing the Hokage there and greeted him politely, like he had seen others do before. He wondered again how on Earth the man knew all the names of his subordinates. There had to be hundreds of them. The man chuckled at his standardized answer.

"If I had a dime for every time I heard that answer…" the Hokage said wistfully. Minato smirked at him.

"Truthfully I was thinking. I was wondering if a close could be put under an illusion. Technically they are chakra constructs, so if you disturbed the chakra in them they should dissolve, but if you did it carefully the chakra wouldn't really be disturbed enough. I was thinking of experimenting with it… even if I can't really see a use for it," he explained and the man called the 'Professor' had a sudden keen look in his eyes.

"You know, I never thought of that. An interesting dilemma," he said and looked at the water.

"I suppose if you managed to find a genjutsu subtle enough to use on a clone, it would almost be impossible to detect. Was that what you are after?" he asked and Minato nodded slowly. He gave a small grimace.

"I don't think it would be very useful, sir. It can't be very strong after all, or it will have to be very strong and work over a large area or a long time period to draw out the chakra in thin enough layers."

The Hokage laughed.

"You never know. Maybe it would be, maybe it wouldn't. You don't know until you try."

"I guess that is true. Thanks, sir."

The Hokage remained with him for a while, watching the still waters of the lake before he spoke again.

"My sensei created this lake," he said as an afterthought. Minato blinked at him, then turned to study the lake a little more, and true enough, the lines of the shore was strangely 'clean' if it had been a natural lake.

"The Nidaime Hokage?" he asked and the man chuckled.

"Why is it everyone presumes it was him when it comes to the water? No, it was the Shodaime Hokage. Senju Hashirama. He had a water affinity too, though weaker than his brother's."

He smiled indulgently when Minato looked curiously at him.

"Toirama – sensei was gifted when it came to water techniques. He is so far the only one I know of who could draw enough moisture from the air to drench entire battlefields. It was impressive to watch, and very dangerous."

Minato blinked at that. He had always known the old man had lived during the time of the Shodaime and the Nidaime Hokages, but he had never given it any thought aside from that. Of course he would have seen them fight. They were his teachers, and he was their protégé, so of course.

"That's probably why everyone assumes he created the lakes around here, then," Minato said in answer to the Hokage's previous question. The man laughed good humored.

"Oh, I have no doubt about that. The history books only mentioned that he did create lakes around Konoha, not which ones. I think Uchiha Madara was responsible for some as well, after they had been out drinking one night and couldn't agree on who could create the best lake. Hashirama sensei was supposed to be the judge, but in the end my team and I had to drag all three of them home, soaking wet and still arguing about the lakes. It is one of the reasons there are so many small lakes around Konoha. They claimed it was tactical reasons, of course. Water reservoirs in case of a siege. Never let it be said they ever did anything irresponsible," he said with a laugh.

The Hokage shook his head, as if he couldn't believe an excuse like that actually had worked.

"Oh… That's right… They were friends," Minato muttered, more to himself than to the Hokage. He heard him anyway.

"They were," he agreed solemnly. Not for the first time did Minato wonder what had happened to destroy that friendship. If it had been anything like the friendship between him and Sasuke, and one had been forced to fight the other to the death only with them it really did end with death. A depressing thought.

The rumors were that Madara had lost it. Gone off on the deep end and round the bender and every other term for crazy there was. As a ninja Minato did understand how that happened and could feel some pity for him. He didn't think anyone started out evil, and the victor writes the books, as they say.

"Sir, could you tell me about them please? Not what they did, we learn that at the Academy, but more like who they were," he asked suddenly and the Hokage hummed.

"I didn't have all that much to do with the Uchiha. He was… well, he was a clan leader for one thing, but so was Hashirama sensei and later Tobirama sensei… Tobirama – sensei was a tactician, always observing and thinking. Planning ahead and wondering just how he could turn something into a favorable situation for either himself or Konoha, depending on what he was pondering. He was good at it too, but I suppose you don't grow up in the environment they grew up in without getting good at what they do. He was the one to plan how to convince the clans to join together."

"I thought the Shodaime Hokage was the one to do that?" Minato asked and Sarutobi gave him an amused look and shook his head.

"Hashirama – sensei was charismatic enough to go through with it, but Tobirama – sensei planned it. The difference between them was just that… Tobriama – sensei planned and Hashirama – sensei got it done. Don't misunderstand me, he could nicely use strategy during a battle, but he wasn't a long term planner like Tobirama – sensei and he wasn't… manipulative enough, I'd say, to do it either. He liked honestly and appreciated it, while Tobirama sensei… well, he wouldn't lie, exactly, but he wouldn't tell you everything either if it suited him not to. If Hashirama – sensei couldn't convince them, there was always Madara. He had a different way of going about it, but it worked. The Senju brothers tried to point out the advantages of joining up, and if that didn't work the Uchiha would informed them what would happen to the clan if they didn't agree to the deal. He didn't gain any allies that way, and I think that might be why he wasn't elected as the Shodaime Hokage. Sometimes I wonder why he agreed to take on that role in the first place. He must have known he wouldn't gain friends by it. "

"They sound like interesting people… Though, I thought brothers were supposed to be similar," Minato said incredulously. Sarutobi chuckled at his observation.

"They were alike in many ways, like how they were kind to their people, looked after them and would do anything for their dream to come through. They also had the same manners of speaking and acting. Strangely, they shared a fascination with the Uchiha they never explained to me. I asked only once why they had decided to join forces after decades of fighting, but they never said. I think it had to do with Madara and his younger brother, Izuna I believe his name was. I never did meet him. He died young, I was told."

"Maybe they became friends? If they respected each other on the battlefield, it isn't so strange that they became friends in the end," Minato theorized and glanced at the Hokage to see what he thought of that, or if he could glean something from his facial expression. The Hokage only looked lost in his childhood memories. The man suddenly chuckled.

"I'll tell you this, though. Madara always riled Tobirama – sensei as much as he could. I think he found him overly amusing and baited him consciously to annoy him. He used to ruffle his hair and call him 'littlest Senju' and for some reason he found that hysterically funny. Hashirama – sensei once said they were like a couple of little children arguing and ending up having temper tantrums."

Minato tried to imagine the revered legendary figures having temper tantrums and stomping their feet like two – year olds but couldn't entirely justify it with what he knew of them from his history lessons. It was sad, though, that even close friendships like that could end with betrayal. Perhaps Madara had lost his mind. Minato knew he wouldn't turn his back on a friendship like that without having some serious mental issues.

He was about to ask more about the founders of the Hidden Leaf Village when a woman came running towards them waving some papers.

"Hokage – sama! Sir! You are late! Your guard is asking for you! You have a meeting in ten minutes! Your schedule is here, oh, darn it all!" she exclaimed as she stumbled in her high heels. She was one of the civilian secretaries, or at least, they were disguise as such. He didn't think anyone working in the Hokage Tower truly was a civilian. The Third Hokage made a face.

"There are days I think my teachers landed me with this duty out of pure vindictiveness just to make sure I suffered for all the times I caught them doing something stupid," he said and winked at Minato as he left.

"Have a good day, Hokage – sama," Minato responded somewhat distractedly. People would be people, and how they were remembered weren't up to them. It was up to how everyone else thought of them. Which was unfair but realistic in a morbid sort of way. You weren't around to correct their impression and would you honestly care after having past on? Probably not.

Remembering what the conversation had started with he created a water clone and studies it for a while. It stood on the water and couldn't walk too far from him as its creator. Tentatively layering a simple Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique on the clone he watched as the clone seemed to stiffen before it erupted into water. At least he knew that one was too disruptive to be used.

It didn't come as a surprise. Not really, since almost anyone above genin level would be able to detect this illusion, and even many genins could and would realize they were under the influence of it. Not fresh ones, but some with a little experience would notice.

He tried it again with less chakra, but that resulted in the illusion not being strong enough to uphold itself. The chakra in the new clone wasn't affected at all. Trying with another brand of illusions, this time the Sly Mind Affect Technique in case it was the brand of illusions which did it, he watched closely as the clone for a moment remained still before it tried to take a step and then crumbled in on itself.

It was definitely odd. He had fought with clones while under the influence of illusions. He had done so in the Forest of Death during their chunin exam as Naruto when encountering the team from Rain. Though… those clones hadn't been around when the illusion was layered. He created them when he was in the illusion. It meant a clone, which was a chakra construct, could be created while the creator was being manipulated by chakra, and the clone would be as affected by the illusion as the creator but not dispel itself, but if he tried to put the illusion directly on the clone it would dispel itself because he messed with the chakra keeping the clone together.

He created yet another clone and tried with the Demonic Illusion: False Surrounding Technique and layered it around the clone instead of on it. He didn't touch the clone at all and watched closely as the clone started to move around. He made it until the chakra in the illusion started to work its magic, metamorphic speaking, and the subtle intrusion of the illusion worked its way to start messing with the senses of the clone. At that point the chakra in the clone got too messed up to keep it together and it once again dissolved into water.

Well, at least it didn't dissipate at once. He wasn't sure what it meant for the illusions, but hoped it meant he could find one which would be possible to use without anyone but a full out expert or at least very well trained and experienced ninja would notice. He tried with a few more variations of the False Surrounding Technique before he decided to leave it until he had an idea as to how to solve the problem with the illusions and their tendency to be detected.

It was still quite early, not yet midday, when Minato found himself searching out Inoichi. His mother had informed him he was out with his team and while the village had been repaired after the attack there was enough for the genins to do. It wasn't long until the chunin exams were coming around again, and this year both Kushina's team and Inoichi's team would participate. That meant Shikaku had to attend as well and Minato couldn't help to wonder what Inoichi would bribe him with to make him come along. The Nara didn't do strenuous stuff free, that much was for sure.

He found the team on one of the training grounds, doing their everyday exercises. He landed softly at the outskirts of the area they used and watched them before he picked up a small stone and intently eyed Inoichi. As soon as he slipped up in his stances he threw the stone and smirked when the blonde yelped in surprise at the sudden sharp sting. He turned abruptly to glare at Minato before his expression melted into one of recognition and a happy smile.

"Minato! You're back!" he called as Minato strolled over to him.

"I came back yesterday," he responded merrily. Shikaku looked curiously at him as well and pushed his hands into his pockets while doing his best at looking uninterested.

"All we heard was that you were on a mission," he said and Minato hesitated a little. They hadn't been explicitly told not to reveal any of the strangeness they had found in their mission, but he didn't think he should talk too much about it.

"Mmm… We went scouting," he allowed carefully. Shikaku tilted his head and Minato just knew he knew he was weighing his words carefully. He couldn't do anything with that, but still. He didn't want to say anything more about it and Inoichi was sensitive enough to realize that. They were also both smart enough to know that whatever 'scouting' they'd done hadn't turned out the way they expected when Minato wasn't saying anything. Another good reason not to ask more. They would have to do the same when they became chunin and started to take missions above the C – rank limit they had now.

"Are you looking forwards to the exams?" Minato asked them curiously. He was a little curious as to where this year's exams were being held. Mist hadn't had them since the blatant disaster their first one had been. Inoichi grimaced at the question.

"Sort of. We are training for it and… yeah, it's just two more months so we should be ready. I mean, we've been genin for two years already. You didn't take that long, did you?"

He smiled sheepishly at them while throwing around for something to say. It wasn't as if he would like to explain that mess to them. The truth about that had never come forth to anyone but those who strictly needed to know, and his friends were not among them.

"Yeah, well, sensei only had one student so he could pay a lot more attention to me than what's normal," he explained with a laugh. Inoichi's eyes lit up in remembrance as he remembered that detail.

"That's true. How were your exams? All you ever said about them was that they were hard."

Minato pursed his lips in thought and huffed a little.

"Rotten. You'll probably get through them fine. Trust each other and work together, and if you can't be together than be ready to kill. We were separated and pitted against each other in all out battles. We could choose if we killed our opponent or not, but not everyone would be as merciful as we are thought to be, so sometime we just had to kill to survive the night. I don't know if you'll have to face something like that, though. Those exams were held in Mist, and they didn't get their nickname for nothing."

Shikaku nodded gravely at him.

"My uncle said something like that about them as well. Bloody Mist, he called them. I guess he wasn't swearing then," he said with a slight smirk.

"No, no, he wasn't, but I didn't come here to discuss this with you. I was wondering about something and thought you might know."

Inoichi's smile widened into a grin and he threw his hands in the air.

"I give! They day has come when we know something you don't! I can't believe it!"

"Don't get used to it," Minato bantered back, but he smiled all the same.

"I was wondering how your clans came to join Konoha. Well, if that is something you can talk about, obviously. I don't want you to give away clan secrets or something like that."

That surprised them. Inoichi shrugged.

"Nah, it's not really a secret, not for the Yamanaka anyway. We were a branch off of the Senju clan and obviously joined our more distant cousins when the Senju clan leader asked us. You'll find that a good few of the people in Konoha originated from the Senju clan, as it dissolved after the founding of the village and only the main branch remained. They weren't as strict on it as the Uchiha clan was, and some others, like the Aburame. They keep tight control on any child borne to their clan members. It has to do with the bloodline of the Uchiha, of course, and the Hyuga are the same I think, while for the Aburame it is because they have to go through the whole matter of getting their hives. Most just became families though, and not clans like mine."

Shikaku agreed with a nod.

"The Nara clan came from the northern borders of Fire Country. I'm not sure exactly why the clan decided to join the village. Perhaps they saw the benefits of it… I am pretty sure that was part of it, and I think they might have been somewhat intimidated into it by the Senju clan and the Uchiha clan breathing down their necks. Everyone claims their clan joined willingly, but even if the Shodaime Hokage was borne to talk people around to his side, no one is good enough to convince that many clans without something to… well, when you make deals like that you have something to sweeten it with and something to ensure they see it your way with. You just need to know when to apply the carrot and when to apply the stick."

"My clan willingly joined after moving all the way from Rain Country," Chouza supplied proudly from the sideline. That was news to Minato, who didn't know any clans outside of Fire Country had joined Konoha. Shikaku caught his surprised look and shrugged.

"The borders were more fleeting back then, and the five major villages were founded first. Clans in other nations saw this and some decided to try their hand on their own village while others decided the best course of action for their clan was to join one of the Elemental villages. It was survival instinct, really. They didn't have to think of a whole village, just what was best for their clan."

Minato nodded a little taken back with this. The books only said that the clans joined, not how or why. That wasn't important information after all, but he wanted to know something else entirely. He wanted to know what made the clans agree. If it was like Shikaku said, that the right amount of advantages and threats worked, than the politics behind it was incredibly simple. He hoped there was more to it, but he had seen how easy a village could erupt into civil war if the interests of the clans and families became too diverting. Of course, he knew they had developed a loyalty for their home after so many years, but still wished he knew _exactly_ what had made them signed up in the first place. Especially between the two founding clans, Senju and Uchiha. What had made them put aside decades of fighting just to become all chummy and create a village? He doubted they had woken up one day and thought 'well this is a waste of time. Why don't we get along and do something constructive?'

"Why the sudden interest? It's a boring topic," Inoichi said with a frown but Minato just shook his head.

"Not really. I was curious about something I heard earlier today. It would also explain why some clans work together while others don't, and why some clans are close while others have completely different views on things. Like the Hyuga and the Uchiha," he said slowly and was awarded with a half choked snort form the Nara.

"That's easily explained. Everyone knows about that one, at least, everyone in a clan does. The Uchiha blackmailed the Hyuga into joining Konoha. No one knows _how_ they did it, or _what_ they have on them, but the story has been around since the founding and the Uchiha supposedly didn't make a secret of it. It is why the Hyuga disagrees with the Uchiha on principle."

Minato could actually see that happen and chuckled. He would have to ask Shion about it later. He was pretty sure she wouldn't say what they had on the white eyed clan, but perhaps how they had done it. No wonder they had such an odd relationship. Respect mingled with a never ending competition complex and enough arrogance to last for the rest of the village. Well, that and they were bickering like an old married couple.

"As fascinating as that is, we'd better get back to training. Sensei's looking at us with that look," Inoichi reminded his teammates and glanced warily at their sensei, who indeed had a look which qualified to the term 'that look'. Minato bid them goodbye before he went to get groceries. He didn't have much of that left, after a mission lasting almost a month.

It was two days later when a flustered Sakumo showed up on his doorstep with a silver haired toddler and a bag of diapers. Minato had been napping and wasn't entirely awake when the man quickly took advantage of this and stuffed the child in his arms and told him to look after him for the day. He was gone before Minato could protest.

Holding mini – Kakashi out on arms length he stared at the toddler. Two wide, dark eyes stared back. Silence ensued.

Minato's first thought was that a the toddler might have been damaged by the environment he grew up in, because he didn't make any undue noise and kept observing him as if he was the most interesting thing to walk the earth.

"Hello there. I'm Minato," he told Kakashi, who blinked back.

"Right, so what am I going to do with you? Geez, your father just dropped you off like a litter of kittens," he grumbled annoyed and placed the boy on the floor. He had to steady him at first, but afterwards the silver haired boy walked perfectly on his own, if not a little wobbly thanks to the diaper. The boy turned and pointed at the bag.

"Mine," he told Minato empirically.

"…Uh… sure," Minato agreed, unsure of what the little boy wanted with that statement. The boy quickly went over to the bag and started to undo the zipper with quick, small fingers and pulled out a blanket, diapers, toys and found what he was looking for almost at the bottom. Minato stared in disbelief at the miniature shuriken. Sure, it wasn't a live blade, but a two year old with a shuriken? What the hell were they planning for the kid? Oh, he'd heard his former teacher was a genius alright, but he couldn't help but be if they started him out before he could speak complete sentences.

The toddler threw it rather haphazardly at the wall and frowned when it didn't stick. He looked at Minato.

"Not like daddy's," he informed him and trotted over to pick it up and examine it. Unperturbed he tried again, and again and again until Minato decided it had to be a favorite pastime and let the child to it. It wasn't as if Kakashi knew how to throw the shuriken, he just threw it like any child with throw a stone.

He had managed to clean up the mess Kakashi had made on the floor, had a cup of tea and some sweets and plan dinner before the toddler got tired of his game and flung the shuriken at the floor in a fit.

"B'oken, b'oken, b'oken!" he wailed angrily. Minato was sure he had jumped several feet in the air upon hearing the wail and felt certain they had heard it on the other side of Konoha.

"Ah, it's not broken, it's just..." really, it was broken since it wasn't sharp, but he couldn't exactly tell the upset child that.

"B'oken!" Kakashi insisted stubbornly. Minato caved.

"Yes, it's not working, and we're not going to try with any of mine. They are dirty. I bet you are hungry right? We can make… eh…"

What did he give a two year old? Soup? Nah, they ate solid foods long before two years. His earlier dinner plan went out the window when the child had his attention diverted to food instead of the 'broken' toy. What Minato found more disturbing was the fact that he knew how the shuriken was supposed to work in the first place.

"Bento, bento," the child chimed. Minato wondered if the toddler knew that was supposed to be a lunch and not a dinner, but accepted the request either way. It was the path of least resistance after all. They spent three hours trying to make bento 'like mummy' and even if he didn't get it right, according to the self announced expert in the form of a two year old, it was eatable and he managed to feed the various foodstuff to the child as long as he made it look something like a lunch package. He shook his head. Even as a two year old Kakashi had issues though they were more innocent than those he had in his later years.

He had to admit, in the privacy of his own mind and _after_ Sakumo had picked up the then sleeping child, that Kakashi made an adorable toddler. He smirked. This time he could even be around to tease the man about it when he grew up a little. He planned on taking full advantage of that.

He had yet to meet up with his neighbors, and wondered if the cousins were all out until he remembered that Kaero had just graduated from the Academy. Kushina would be participating in the upcoming chunin exams. He was pretty sure of that, since her team had been around for two years already and the village was subtly starting to take certain measures. The other day he had seen chunin and genin teams around the civilian part of the village recruiting for the Academy. They said they wanted to encourage more people from civilian families to attend, since it would mean a broader scope of talents. The clans were more or less set in their ways and that could be a hindrance. Minato knew they were recruiting to fight a war. It wasn't said, or even mentioned, but underneath the calm surface the nations were gritting against each other, pushing, testing and growling. Figuratively flexing muscles.

He glanced up at he felt someone sit down beside him on the branch he was residing on. He was in a the tree overlooking the Memorial Stone and while he wasn't one to spend a lot of time in front of it, it happened he felt the need to see it. To remind himself of how many names which weren't on it yet.

"We've got a mission," the other spoke quietly but slouched forwards to rest his elbows on his knees. Minato glanced at him.

"Really… what kind?" he asked and the Uchiha gave him a dark look. Not that any of his 'looks' weren't dark. They all came under the range of 'scowl', 'frown', 'glower' and the likes of those.

"My dad came back from a Council meeting last night," he said instead. He sounded… bland. Minato couldn't tell what he was thinking so he waited for him to elaborate on his own.

"They aren't happy with what happened a month ago," he said and Minato couldn't resist snorting. He had a feeling Fugaku had put that mildly.

"They've not gotten over it already?" he asked idly. His older comrade shrugged.

"You don't get over something like that. You get even after something like that. The problem, as far as the council sees it, is that there isn't a village to get even on anymore. You were on that mission, weren't you?"

"Hmm. It was boring. All we did was running around Stone Country."

The Uchiha smirked briefly.

"I can imagine. I've been up there as well. Not much of a scenery."

"No. Rocks, rocks, and oh my, more rocks, but Stone's lack of natural beauty aside, what did the Council want this time?"

"I told you. To get even. Revenge, leveling the playing field… it's all the same."

"What did the Hokage say?"

Fugaku stayed silent for a while staring at the Memorial and then shook his head reluctantly.

"I wasn't there, you know," he said dryly after having weighed his options. This time Minato smirked.

"You always say that when you don't want to admit your father disagrees with the Hokage. What is it this time?"

The Uchiha pursed his lips momentarily and then sighed before he ran a hand through his hair.

"According to my father the Hokage didn't say much at all. He said this was likely planned by some third party, but he also agreed that it will reflect badly on Konoha if there aren't any repercussions. Some other clans are worried about what others will think if we do anything to Stone since their hidden village is already gone, but it is also clear that Konoha didn't do that. If anything, it will just create an even tenser situation."

"What did your father think?" Minato asked absently. He had learned that the Uchiha was, actually, a rather good politician. Not always with the right reasons, but he was good at it.

"He didn't say much. I think he doesn't care as long as the security on the village is strengthened. He said all this could've been avoided if the council had listened to his concerns about the security over a year ago. He ranted for over an hour and I had to listen to him. If it wasn't because you say the devil is in the details I wouldn't have bothered."

Minato looked oddly at him.

"I said that?" he asked curiously. He couldn't remember saying that. Fugaku shrugged.

"You said you could do more if you knew the details. It's only a different way of saying it."

The blonde blinked before he let out an amused snigger.

"You refer to me as the devil? That's rich Uchiha."

The older boy didn't change his position but clicked his tongue and nodded sagely.

"I don't know what you are planning or why, but trust me, I know when someone is aiming for something and you are aiming quite high. I wouldn't have helped you if I didn't know you're a genius and probably going to make your goals real too. Just remember it in time."

Minato didn't respond to that, but regarded the future head of the Uchiha clan intensely. He didn't know what he thought of being in his debt for anything, but filed it away to examine later. After all, he wouldn't need to do anything about it, unless Fugaku wanted him to hint at some of the less than loyal thoughts in his clan towards certain aspects of Konoha.

Oh, the clan was loyal to the village of Konoha, of that there was little doubt. They were less pleased with how… well, they didn't like how some things were solved and who actually had a say in those things. For one thing, they detested having to let civilians have a say in anything regarding the ninja. Of course, they didn't have a lot to say, but the mere presence of them and pretending that what they thought actually mattered made the clan see red. Literally. Danzou and his sub – division to ANBU had too many run ins with the police force to make the clan like him in any way and Minato was ready to bet the only way they would like the old spider was six feet under, head separated from the body. It didn't help at all that every time they tried to complain about it they were told they were 'only' the police force and therefore they shouldn't meddle with the ANBU's affairs.

No, 'loyalty' was always a matter of opinion. While the clan was loyal to Konoha as a whole, they were apprehensive to the leadership. Minato knew because he was trusted. He was trained by one of them, and the bond between a sensei and a student, especially a single student, was strong. He also knew better than to think too much into it. It might also be why Fugaku had decided to help him.

"As you say," he said and tilted his head in a show of agreement. The Uchiha didn't seem to notice. He was still leaning on his elbows and looking down at the grass.

"The chunins are being assembled for sabotage. That's what our mission says. Sabotage."

He handed Minato a scroll and as the blonde unrolled it he quietly observed the dark haired boy through the corners of his eyes. The Uchiha didn't seem to think sabotage was the correct term with the way he was glaring balefully at the scroll.

It wasn't much, just orders to take out the targets marked on the map. Wondering why Fugaku found it necessary to show anything resembling bitterness towards the mission he quickly folded the map out and looked it over. It was of the capitol in Stone Country, with five blue marks spread around the eastern area. He could only assume other teams were assigned other targets.

"Ah… they're getting even," he realized. Revenge never did lead to anything good and always left a bitter taste. He glanced over at Fugaku.

"How did they get the Hokage to agree?"

"They didn't need to. He would've had to do something with the way things are. Konoha can't afford to lose face right now. Not with how everyone is scrambling for power… the war left a vacuum of sorts. It ended without a conclusion so everyone's trying to make themselves the winner."

"That sucks."

"Yeah."

The silence fell over them and Minato rolled the scroll back up and handed it back. He didn't feel like talking right now. He didn't like how this was needed. It shouldn't be needed. Fugaku looked thoughtfully at him.

"We'll have to go… I don't want to be put in court for disobeying a direct order."

"I know. I was thinking how we wouldn't have if we made the orders."

"That's an interesting idea."

"Why do you think I want to become Hokage?" Minato asked him carefully and observed the Uchiha closely. He was surprised at first, his eyes widening before an almost wicked grin spread across his face.

"Sarutobi can't remain in power forever," he agreed and his charcoal colored eyes met Minato's sky blue in a moment of total understanding. Minato smirked back.

"It's all a matter of patience and planning. If planned and done right, I'll be elected Hokage when Sarutobi retires. Misunderstand me correctly, I like him and I think he's a good man, but… I also think he's too attached to his advisors at times, and that sod Danzou."

_Especially_ that sod Danzou, but he couldn't tell Fugaku that. No, but he did nothing to hide his dislike for the man. The sooner he could get rid of that… that… well, that, he could breathe easier and it would be infinitely easier to get rid of him with the help of the Uchiha clan instead of having to sneak around them to do it.

He didn't much care for what had happened to the clan the other time around, in the future he knew, because he knew he could use their help now. They weren't happy with Danzou, and he wanted the man gone for more reasons than he cared to remember. Screw history, this was the village of Konoha they were talking about. He'd do what he had to do to save it, and from the look in Fugaku's eyes he knew the future clan head would cheer him on, never mind his reasons to do so.


End file.
